Patients left waiting 17 hours for ambulances in parts of Sefton

People have been waiting up to 17 hours for ambulances in parts of Sefton this summer.

While the wait relates to non urgent calls, with those living in south Sefton most severely affected, those living in the north of the borough also faced long waits.

In South Sefton, the average response time for category four calls, the least critical, came in at seven and a half hours on average during June, significantly higher than the 180 minute NHS target.

For more urgent ambulance calls, response times were also in some cases far from the target, according to an NHS Cheshire and Merseyside performance update report released this week.

For the most urgent of ambulance calls, category one, where the target response time is less than seven minutes, patients across the borough faced longer waits. For those in north Sefton, the average time was over nine minutes, with those in south Sefton waiting more than eight minutes.

The report also shows delays in waiting times for accident and emergency and cancer treatments across the borough during June.

Less than 70% of Sefton accident and emergency patients were treated within the four hour target timeframe, with just over half of urgent cancer referrals meeting the two week wait. This is significantly below the target for two week cancer referrals, which stands at 93%.

South Sefton cases refer to Liverpool University Hospital trust whereas North Sefton cases are dealt with by Ormskirk hospital trust.

The figures – including patient satisfaction data which shows a mixed response from people receiving treatment in the borough – will be discussed by councillors at a meeting of Sefton Council’s health and adult social care overview and scrutiny committee, to be held at Southport town hall next Tuesday, September 6.