The Liberal Democrats have called on the Prime Minister to host an emergency COBR meeting after it was confirmed all English ambulance trusts are at breaking point.
In response to a written question by Liberal Democrat MP Daisy Cooper, the Government admitted that all ten ambulance trusts in England were at the highest alert level (Level Four) on 22 October 2021. This means all are simultaneously facing “extreme pressure” with delays across the country rising.
The Government took over a month to respond to the question and has failed to make a statement to Parliament on the issue. It comes after the latest NHS figures revealed ambulance response times reached their highest levels on record in October.
The Liberal Democrats are calling for an emergency plan to support ambulance services this winter including:
- Bringing in military personnel across all ten trusts in England to help address staff shortages
- Reversing recent and planned closures of ambulance stations
- Increasing beds and staffing capacity at A&Es to reduce queues of ambulances outside hospitals
Commenting Liberal Democrat Health and Care Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said: “This is shameful. Forget the statistics, we’re talking about loved ones waiting for ambulances that arrive too late or get stuck in queues at hospitals with devastating results.
“Boris Johnson’s Conservatives have let everyone down through their failure to properly manage the NHS.
“The Government also has serious questions to answer on why it took a month to respond to this question and why they have failed to make a statement to Parliament on the issue.
“The Prime Minister must get a grip of this crisis instead of trying to hide it. He should call an urgent COBR meeting and agree a rescue package for our overstretched ambulance services ahead of the difficult winter months.”