Warning more 'could die' waiting for ambulances as no end in sight to crisis

Midlands Message Read in browser Subscribe to Midlands Message Midlands Message is edited by Richard Guttridge Get in touch at richard.guttridge@reachplc.com Warning more 'could die' waiting for ambulances as no end in sight to crisis Ambulances are having to spend hours stuck outside hospitals. Th

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Subscribe to Midlands Message Midlands Message is edited by Richard Guttridge Get in touch at richard.guttridge@reachplc.com   Warning more 'could die' waiting for ambulances as no end in sight to crisis Ambulances are having to spend hours stuck outside hospitals.

There is no end in sight to the region's ambulance crisis, medical chiefs have admitted, as they issued a grim warning that more people could die waiting for paramedics to arrive. Ambulance response times have slumped to a record low in the Midlands, with a lack of available beds at hospitals causing a blockage in the system. Frustrated paramedics are having to spend hours stuck outside hospitals waiting to hand over their sick patients, leaving them helpless as they can see 999 calls stacking up but can do nothing about it. West Midlands Ambulance Service nursing chief Mark Docherty believes more people could die waiting for ambulances over the coming weeks, Agenda Editor Richard Guttridge reports. He also said some patients "could get to Australia quicker" than the time it takes an ambulance to get to them. It also emerged a man with a broken arm tried to drive himself to hospital because he was worried an ambulance wouldn't turn up, only to lose control of his car and crash, Politics and People Editor Jane Haynes reports. And Mr Docherty said: "We've got some horror, horrible stories - of people that are very young, for example, dying of cardiac arrest when they shouldn't." And he warned that while long delays continue, so would the risk of unnecessary deaths. He wrote in a new report on the crisis: "This means that patients who are immediately time critical medical emergencies do not get the response they need and may suffer significant harm or death."

Government urged to back 'game-changing' rail plan The Government is being urged to back an ambitious £1.5 billion masterplan to improve rail links in the Midlands. The Midlands Rail hub aims to boost connectivity by ensuring faster and more frequent services across the region. The plan is being supported by MPs and transport bosses in the Midlands. Now, the Conservative MP for Birmingham Northfield, Gary Sambrook, is calling for the Government to get behind the project. He told Midlands Message: "The scheme will add more than 14 million more seats on the rail network each year and provide faster, more frequent, or new rail links for over 30 locations including Birmingham, Bromsgrove, Nuneaton, Worcester, Hereford, Cardiff, Bristol, Cheltenham and Leicester. "It will also bring 1.6 million more people to within an hour of the region's biggest towns and cities by public transport. "What is odd about this project is local MPs are fully behind it, every council is, Midlands Connect the transport body support it as, critically, does (West Midlands Mayor) Andy Street who described it as 'game-changing' and he's right."

What we're reading Conservative West Midlands Mayor Andy Street has slammed the Government over its distribution of levelling-up cash, which left out large parts of the Midlands. Labour MPs were also left fuming about how money was divvied up. Jane Haynes and Ellie Brown report. New noise-detecting cameras have been rolled out in Bromsgrove to tackle boy racers as part of an initial trial. Richard Guttridge reports. Rob Colbourne gives his views on whether Rishi Sunak's maths plan adds up in this comment piece. Engineers at bus operator National Express have voted in favour of strikes, with drivers also to be balloted. Midlands Business Editor Tamlyn Jones has the latest. Sandwell Council has shelved a number of housebuilding projects after national targets were relaxed by the Government, Rhi Storer reveals. Rhi also reports how a mum is embroiled in a row with a Birmingham school over claims her daughter was banned from the playground and canteen because of her braided hair. Meanwhile, low-traffic neighbourhoods are set to be made permanent in parts of south Birmingham. Zena Hawley reports how Derby City Council needs to find £40 million to build a new theatre. There's a row about plans to reshape an advice service for families of kids with special needs in Birmingham, with the move being branded "shameful". Jane Haynes has the latest. The Co-op is to axe its distribution operation in Leicester, affecting 400 roles. Business Editor Tom Pegden reports. Bin collections were halted after a senior crew member died while on his rounds, leaving colleagues devastated. Ellie Brown reports.

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