Heatstroke patients now wait an hour for an ambulance to arrive, as analysis found NHS response times have almost doubled in the last five years.
A pensioner fell ill for nine and a half hours in one of the worst cases discovered last year.
It comes as the British enjoy one of the hottest weeks of the year, with temperatures around 30ºC.
The NHS says heatstroke is a medical emergency and can be deadly.
Overheating in hot weather can cause rapid pulse and breathing, fainting and convulsions.
It can kill if people don’t get medical help and may have been a factor in death of TV doctor Michael Moseley when he collapsed while walking in Greece in June.
We have heard many harrowing stories of people waiting hours for an ambulance to arrive
Daisy Cooper
NHS figures from six ambulance services in England and Wales showed calls about heatstroke took an average of 59 minutes to arrive in 2023.
This number increased by 84 percent – almost double – compared to 32 minutes in 2019 for the same services.
Statistics have also shown that response times tend to be longer for people over 65, who are most at risk.
The longest wait recorded was 11 hours and 16 minutes in Wales, which also had the longest average wait at two hours and 18 minutes.
The longest wait for over-65s was nine hours and 27 minutes in the East Midlands.
The NHS said the response time target depends on the severity of someone’s condition – it could be as little as seven minutes for life or death cases, 18 minutes for serious illness or two hours for less serious symptoms.
Liberal Democrat MP Daisy Cooper said: “We have heard so many harrowing stories of people waiting hours in a state of confusion for an ambulance to arrive.
“This deeply disturbing data only reveals once again how the NHS has been brought to its knees.
“For too long, patients have been without the high-quality community services they need and staff have been without the resources to do their jobs.”
Ambulances ‘operate under tremendous pressure’
England’s ambulance services have failed to meet overall response time targets for years.
They say the slow discharge of patients from the emergency department, due to high demand and insufficient number of free hospital beds, means it takes longer to unload patients and get back on the road.
Tim Slater, from East Midlands Ambulance Service, said: “The NHS and ambulance service continue to operate under tremendous pressure.
“We know that we are unable to serve all patients as quickly as we would like and we are sorry for that.
“We are doing everything we can to resolve the situation.”
Lee Brooks, from the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “Poor ambulance response times are a symptom of pressures across the system, including delivery delays from hospitals, which affect our ability to respond to patients in a timely manner.
“We continually strive to respond to patients most in need of emergency healthcare as quickly as possible and across Wales.”
How to cool off in a heatwave
Most of us like warm weather, but when it’s too hot, there are health risks. Here are three ways to stay calm according to the NHS…
Stay away from heat if you can.
If you have to leave the house, stay in the shade especially between 11am and 3pm, use sunscreen, a hat and light clothing, and avoid exercise or activities that make you hotter.
Calm down.
Eat cold foods and drinks, avoid alcohol, caffeine and hot drinks, and take a cool shower or put cold water on your skin or clothes.
Keep your space cool.
Close the windows during the day and open them at night when the outside temperature drops. Electric fans can help if the temperature is below 35 degrees. Check the temperature of environments, especially where people at higher risk live and sleep.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
