An 81-year-old woman from Clacton, Essex, has died after waiting nearly four hours for an ambulance. The pensioner called 999 on Tuesday complaining of chest pains, but emergency services arrived three hours and 45 minutes later, according to the GMB union.
Dave Powell, GMB regional officer, said the crew had to force their way into the property after being unable to contact the woman by phone, and found her dead. “They’re devastated because they’re not in the job to find people dead, they’re in the job to help people and keep them alive,” he said.
The East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) confirmed the delay. Deputy chief executive Sandy Brown said: “Our sincere condolences and apologies go out to the patient’s family and friends and we are truly sorry for the ambulance wait that occurred at this incident.” A clinician had made a welfare call and spoken to the patient at 9.47pm, but the ambulance arrived at 11.46pm, finding her unconscious and not breathing.
EEAST has been under extreme pressure, receiving 4,200 calls on Tuesday compared with a daily average of 3,000. The trust raised its operational level to the highest possible last week, and has used taxis to transport patients due to capacity issues. Hospital handovers have also been delayed, with nearly 500 lasting an hour or more between 29 December and 1 January.
Former health minister Norman Lamb said underinvestment in the NHS made such tragedies inevitable. “It’s vital the government acts, the prime minister can’t stand by and allow the NHS to deteriorate,” he said. A Department of Health spokesperson called the delay “completely unacceptable” and noted that NHS England has announced measures to relieve pressure, including freeing up emergency departments to speed up ambulance handovers.
