Ambulance Response Times Hit 47 Minutes in December 2024

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In England, the wait for ambulances has grown dangerously long as they take 47 minutes on average to reach heart attack and stroke patients in December 2024.

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Ambulance response times should be 30 minutes at most as before COVID-19, they had to arrive within 18 minutes, as longer wait timings could be dangerous for the patient.

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The East Midlands faces the worst delays as patients there wait an average of 66 minutes for an ambulance which implies that someone might have a heart attack while waiting.

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Experts comment on heart attacks and strokes as life-threatening emergencies, as with each minute lost, the risk increases of permanent brain or heart damage and even death.

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These delays affect families across the UK as with 100,000 new stroke cases each year and 1.3 million stroke survivors needing care, many families struggle to get timely help.

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Symptoms of a heart attack include pain in the chest, feeling extremely anxious, shortness of breath, feeling sick or throwing up, heavy sweating, and feeling dizzy, etc.

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For strokes, one should remember FAST: Face: Is one side drooping, Arms: Can both arms be raised, Speech: Is it slurred or confused, Time: Call 999 right away.

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Experts comment that heart patients need to see a Heart Disease Action Plan to make cardiovascular prevention, emergency treatment and elective heart care fit for the future.

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