A&E ambulance waiting times highest since records began

Home » News & Knowledge » A&E ambulance waiting times highest since records began

The current pandemic has resulted in an overstretched NHS. However, nearly 13,000 patients waiting more than 12 hours and this an extremely long time to wait, with ambulance waiting time also being affected.

The level of NHS absences due to Omicron are said to be the reason behind the delays.

The Independent reports that people are now suffering with long delays in A and E with routine appointments and follow ups are also being delayed. The long delays are having a detriments impact to some people’s health and wellbeing.

Ambulance waiting times

The article also reports that ambulances are being delayed. Emergency but non-life threatening calls such as those with suspect strokes and suspected heart attacks are waiting 53 minutes on average with the longest ambulance waiting times being just under two hours. This is the long on record.

Recent figures show that the ambulance service received an average of 82,000 category one calls, the highest ever life threatening amount of calls, during December. People waiting more than two years for treatment has risen again to 18,585 in November and this comes to face with the NHS target to eliminated all two year waist by March 2022.

Issues caused by delays in treatment.

The delays that patients are facing often have the following consequences;

Increased pain
Infections and repeat infections
Development of a new illness
Spread of the existing illness
Complication in the surgery
Increased risks in surgeries
Possible reduction to your life expectancy

If you have suffered as a result of these delays then you may have a possible clinical negligence claim.

Do I have a claim?

To bring a claim in medical negligence, you must prove the following two things:

That a medical professional breached their duty of care to you. This could be through the delay in treatment or a failure to refer you to another medical professional or department.
That this breach caused you significant harm, additional to what you would have suffered in any event. In cases of delayed treatment, this could be a year of pain and suffering with no treatment or support offered by medical professionals. In more serious cases this could lead to a failure of diagnosis, further surgeries or even death.

How do I make a claim?

You may be entitled to compensation if you feel that there has been a delay in your treatment or a delay in your referral.

The team at Oakwood Solicitors Ltd will be able to give you free advice on the prospects of your case and advise on whether you would be eligible to make a claim.

How long will my case take to run?

Given the complexities involved in pursuing Clinical Negligence claims, they can often take 18-24 months to conclude and longer if Court proceedings have to be issued. Our investigations start by obtaining all relevant records and protocols before approaching independent medical experts for their opinion.

We will provide you with regular updates on the progress of your case to ensure that you are kept up to speed.

How much is my claim worth?

It is often difficult to value clinical negligence claims at their outset given the complexities involved, however we will pursue two forms of compensation for you:

Firstly, we will pursue compensation known as general damages. This is an award of money for the pain and suffering you have endured as a result of the negligence.

Secondly, we will pursue compensation known as special damages. This is an award of money for all of your out-of-pocket expenses such as travel expenses, medication costs, loss of earnings or treatment costs both past and future. This list is not exhaustive and is very case-specific.

Why choose Oakwood Solicitors Ltd to make your medical negligence case?

We have a dedicated team of solicitors and paralegals who have many years of experience running cases of this nature. They are highly trained to deal with all aspects of clinical negligence.

We want to ensure that clients are not overwhelmed by legal jargon (medical terms that they don’t understand), and to allow the claims procedure to be as transparent as possible.

The majority of clinical negligence cases are funded by a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), more commonly known as a ‘no-win, no-fee’ agreement. This means that there will be nothing to pay upfront and nothing to pay if the claim has been lost.