Two young children were left fighting for their lives following alarming ambulance delays in Staffordshire, with response times stretching to nearly two hours in separate medical emergencies.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has launched an investigation after police vehicles were forced to transport both children to hospital when ambulances failed to arrive promptly.
Critical Incidents Timeline
The first incident occurred on 20 May 2023, when a two-year-old boy suffered a serious head injury. Despite the gravity of the situation, an ambulance took approximately one hour and 50 minutes to reach the scene in Stafford.
In a separate case just weeks later on 10 June, a three-year-old girl experienced a medical emergency in the Stoke-on-Trent area. Again, ambulance crews failed to arrive within an acceptable timeframe, prompting police intervention.
Emergency Protocol Breaches
Both cases saw police officers taking matters into their own hands, transporting the critically ill children to hospital themselves when it became clear ambulance delays could prove fatal.
The West Midlands Ambulance Service has confirmed both incidents are being treated with the utmost seriousness, with internal reviews underway alongside the IOPC investigation.
Service Response and Accountability
A spokesperson for West Midlands Ambulance Service stated: "We have commenced our own internal investigations into both cases and are fully cooperating with the IOPC. Patient safety remains our highest priority, and we are determined to understand what went wrong in these tragic circumstances."
The ambulance service has been under increasing pressure in recent months, with response times for Category 2 emergencies - which include serious conditions like strokes and heart attacks - consistently missing national targets.
Broader Implications for Emergency Services
These incidents raise serious questions about the resilience of emergency medical services in the West Midlands region and highlight the growing reliance on police to fill gaps in healthcare provision.
Local MPs have expressed concern about the cases, with calls for urgent review of ambulance service funding and resource allocation in Staffordshire and surrounding areas.
