NHS Crisis: Paramedic ‘apologises to people’s families because someone has died unnecessarily’ amid ‘years of deliberate underfunding’

A paramedic who is based in Liverpool has recounted that he has had to “apologise to families” because their loved one “died unnecessarily.”

The paramedic said that elderly people who have fallen could be waiting “up to 20 hours” sometimes for an ambulance and they “deteriorate while they wait.”

The paramedic said he believes the government’s attitude towards the NHS has been years of “deliberate underfunding” to then pave the way with “privatisation.”

Speaking to the Mirror, Angharad Williams, 31, a paramedic based in Bootle, Liverpool, said, “There have been several occasions where I’ve been out there and seen families whose loved ones have died waiting for an ambulance.

Read more related news:

Around 25,000 of ambulance workers strike and patients warned to expect a ‘much slower’ response

NHS strikes will go ahead as the ‘outrageous’ government ‘only wanted to talk about productivity’ with no talks over pay

Union calls the anti-strike bill ‘illegal’ as Shapps warns ambulance unions are putting ‘lives at risk’

RMT chief claims strikes were ‘conceived’ by the Department for Transport who have a ‘Stalinist obsession’

“It’s happened to me maybe three times in the last six months, so it’s really difficult to then have to apologise to people’s families because someone has died unnecessarily waiting due to delays.

“It’s the same when you go out to an elderly person who has fallen. They can wait up to 20 hours sometimes for an ambulance, lying on the floor in the cold and they deteriorate while they wait.

“It definitely takes a toll, I think we brush it off quite often but when you think about what we see on a day to day basis it can be quite difficult.

Speaking about the government’s attitude towards the NHS, she said: “I think it’s been 12 years of deliberate underfunding to make it fail and move forward with privatisation.”

On Wednesday around 25,000 Paramedics, drivers, technicians and call handlers from the Unison and GMB unions across England and Wales are on strike for 24 hours over a row in pay.

Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said, “Today’s ambulance strike is an unwelcome return to unnecessary disruption and comes at a time when the NHS is already under huge pressure from Covid and flu.

“While we have contingency plans in place, including support from the military, community first responders and extra call handlers, to mitigate risks to patient safety, there will inevitably be some disruption for patients with fewer ambulances on the road.”