“A while ago my Mum woke up with heart palpitations and stuff, so phone NHS direct who then phoned her an ambulance. The rapid response team turned up within 5 minutes, the ambulance arrived within 10. Which considering we're quite far from any ambulance stations was quite impressive.

I've never had any problem with the NHS. I think it's FAB!!”

“Errr... Bob. Hang on, you called an EMERGENCY ambulance because your girlfriend had had a drink? Surely, if you girlfriend could have taken you to hospital, you could have phoned a taxi or got someone else to take you? The reason we have problems getting to genuine patients is because of people like you using us a taxi service.”

“I was at one of the bike/lorry disasters this summer -not involved as the bike or driver-. The paramedics were there in 3 minutes
ambulance from the BRI came within 6, and they brought the doctor who goes out on helicopter calls too.

What happened here sounds like the system relied on SatNav to get people to where they were going, not realising that SatNav fails. The maps are always out of date, sometimes even the satellites play up. It's one thing to use SatNav to find your way to a friends house, another to rely on it to get you to a patient if you don't know the way.

As somone who is certified to use a defibrillator @work, I believe that the best way to save someone's life is not for the ambulance to come in less than 10 minute, it is for Cribb's to have a defib unit to hand. Did they? That is one thing that could have made a difference. CPR until defib, and defib within a couple of minutes of the "heart attack" -that's the action which has an outcome.”

“just like to say however the actual paramedics/docs/nurses were great :o)”

“There media only ever highlight the odd bad story. However i had cause for an ambulance last week. Nothing major but need checking out and couldn't get to a&e owing to gf having had a drink after work so called 999 and within 2-3 mins a prapid response car turned up and paramedic checked me out. i was fine but she said to go to bri for a check to be safe but then had to wait 45mins for a "proper" ambulance to turn up because the ones that weren't busy were on their break. i wasn't a priority but it is a bit annoying being told you have to wait because they are having their cuppa or whatever. No doubt in an emergency they would drop their tea and come help???”

“@editor:
"Andrew Parker, head of controls at GWAS, said problems Mr Eickhoff had experienced with his satellite navigation system had been rectified since the incident."

Wasn't it Mr Braddock who had problems with his GPS?”

“why should his wife feel guilty
"It must be of some comfort to Mrs Eickhoff that she won't have to live with the prospect of blame for her husband's departure."”

“I recently stopped on my way home from work after I spotted a cyclist on the opposite side of the road, collapsed in a hedge with his legs tangled around the wheels of his pushbike. Another person stopped too and I called an ambulance as he tried to talk to the poor chap. We could get no response from the injured party, he was unconscious, but were assured by the ambulance person on the phone that the ambulance would be coming with sirens and flashing lights from the nearest point. as soon as possible..however, he didn't know where that nearest point was and could have no contact with that ambulance as he spoke to me, so we were all oblivious as to where they were and how long they'd be.

The chap who had stopped with me even said "It's lucky he's not having a heart attack" when we were worrying about how long they were taking to arrive.

After over 25 minutes the ambulance finally arrived and our poor cyclist was still out of it. I tried to explain to the ambulance people what had happened, they didn't want to know, saying they'd deal with him and that he was probably on something anyway and made it quite clear we were no longer needed.

There were no flashing lights or sirens, it is irrelevant if this chap was on something, he was still injured and still needed some care, but they were only speculating at this stage about his drug intake anyway and to be so abrupt with us when were concerned about his welfare was unnecessary.

I don't understand why the ambulance control room had no idea where the vehicle was coming from, can anyone enlighten me please?

Saying all this though, the chap in the control room was very good and reassuring and patient with me as we both waited for the ambulance to arrive.”

“It should also be pointed out now that GWAS don't use agency workers anywhere near as much as they did this time last year....

They have cut down on them by about 90%.”

“I called an ambulance the other day, we had a nice chat, then went for a meal and now we are engaged.

I even felt its sirens ;)”