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Andrea Levy from Southend rang for an ambulance at 0330 last Friday, after her 83-year-old husband suffered a fall. It didn't arrive until 12.30pm. Brian then endured a wait outside the hospital, then waited a further 24 hours in A&E before making his way onto a ward. ѿý Essex speaks to Andrea, as well as Emma Hammett, a former NHS nurse who is now a first aid expert running firstaidforlife.org.uk An East of England Ambulance Service spokesperson told us: “We are doing all we can to boost the number of ambulances we have on the road, including recruiting additional clinical staff and using non-clinical drivers. We’re also working to reduce the number of patients going to hospital, including directing patients to urgent community response services when appropriate. We continue to ask the public to use NHS resources wisely as we must prioritise those most in need.” A spokesperson for Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, who run Southend Hospital, said: “Our hospitals are experiencing an extremely high demand for their services, with many arriving at A&E by ambulance, reflecting just how busy local NHS and social care providers are. We want to reassure everyone that the NHS is open, staff are working incredibly hard, and anyone needing life threatening help must always come forward.
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