MP urges people to share experiences of ambulance waits with Healthwatch Shropshire

The MP for North Shropshire has been calling for increased support across the health system to speed up ambulance response times since she was elected in December.

It comes after a number of constituents have been in touch with the MP to share their experience of waiting hours for an ambulance after getting injured or falling ill in North Shropshire.

Now Ms Morgan is encouraging people to tell their stories to Healthwatch Shropshire as part of its attempts to understand how the strain on the ambulance service is impacting people’s health and lives.

She said: “Healthwatch is there to stand up for patients so the more stories that are shared the more effectively it can stand up for people in Shropshire.

“Every day people are suffering in serious pain while waiting for ambulances in Shropshire but many patients have very good experiences and these stories are just as important.

“The ambulance service and our hardworking NHS staff are doing everything they can but the one group not doing enough to help is the Conservative Government.

“We need urgent action to increase capacity across the health sector as well as an independent CQC inquiry into the underlying causes of ambulance delays.

“In the meantime local health leaders must continue doing everything possible to cope with demand.

"Healthwatch helps ensure that patients are put at the centre of any plan to improve services so it’s vital that people share their stories – whether good or bad.”

Helen regularly meets with NHS and ambulance service leaders to identify local solutions to improve healthcare in North Shropshire.

People can share their experiences of calling an ambulance in Shropshire by going to healthwatchshropshire.co.uk/calling-ambulance-emergency.

The current consultation is running until the end of August and a report will be published in the autumn.