Emergency ambulances can take up to 50 minutes to reach heart attack and stroke victims in Helensburgh, it was revealed this week.
The information was released by a GPs’ practice in the town after Health Secretary Shona Robison ruled out a return of A&E services on the north of the river Clyde.
She repeated her opposition to plans to establish an accident and emergency department at the Golden Jubilee in Dalmuir or at the Vale of Leven Hospital during a meeting with MSP Jackie Baillie 15 cross-party activists and local health campaigners in Alexandria.
Afterwards Pauline MacLean, manager at the Millig Practice in Helensburgh, said she had become increasingly concerned by a dramatic increase in travelling times for ambulances.
“I advised the Cabinet Secretary of six instances recently when we waiting 40-50 minutes for suspected heart attacks and strokes,” she said.
“Early treatment for these patients is paramount and I feel we need new protocols for these serious medical conditions.
“For example a stroke patient that receives treatment within four hours will experience a much better outcome and I believe due to the lack of ambulance service this is not always the case.”
She added that the situation was also affecting the ambulance crews, who were having to work rest days and cancel holidays to cover shifts.
“Ambulance crew’s welfare is a concern, as due to no fault of their own they can arrive too late to help some patients, which is very difficult when you have always trained to save lives,” she said.
“They are then sent out straight away to another call with no time to reflect. What are we doing to help?”
The warning comes days after Dumbarton constituency MSP Jackie Baillie and local campaigners met Ms Robison, who said she would look at ways to increase the number of patients attending services at the Vale of Leven Hospital but refused to consider an A&E department.
Jackie said it was ‘bitterly disappointing’ that options for an A&E to serve people in West Dunbartonshire and the Helensburgh area had been dismissed.
“ The opening of the new hospital in the south of Glasgow and the closure of the Western Infirmary leaves a huge gap in provision for patients in this area and the north west of Glasgow.
“The staff at the RAH in Paisley do an excellent job but with the constant pressure on hospital services and missed waiting time targets, the case for A&E at the Vale or the Golden Jubilee could not be stronger.
“The previous Health Secretary, Alex Neil, supported our campaign and invited NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde to submit a proposal for North of the River A&E, but the new Health Secretary has set her face against local people. Why has the government changed its mind?”
Brian Ronald, chair of the Hands off our Vale Hospital Campaign, added: “Our campaign group has said since day one that we will fight for A&E at the Vale but we would also be happy to see A&E services introduced anywhere north of the river.
“That’s why it is so disappointing that the Cabinet Secretary confirmed that A&E at the Golden Jubilee is firmly off the table and promised nothing for the Vale.
“We also spent a great deal of time talking about the lack of availability of ambulances in our area and reports of patients waiting up to 50 minutes for emergency services to arrive after having a stroke.
“We discussed the same issues at length during our previous meeting with the Cabinet Secretary three months ago and it is disappointing that no progress appears to have been made yet.”
Leave a Reply