Ludlow ambulance campaigner to feature in ITV programme
Ludlow councillor and ambulance campaigner Darren Childs is set to feature on national television tonight.
Mr Childs, who won a seat on Ludlow Town Council in April, started campaigning for better ambulance response times after his baby daughter suffered a seizure scare and faced a long wait for paramedics.
His story will be featured on the Tonight programme on ITV1 at 8.30pm in an episode entitled '999 National Emergency.'
He was filmed at his Ludlow home for the programme, which will feature the problems ambulance services are facing nationwide.
Since he was elected to the council, Mr Childs has campaigned to improve ambulance response times and health services across the county. He also petitioned to return the Ludlow ambulance hub to the town after it was axed, along with a number of others.
Meanwhile he has drafted a petition to go to Parliament which has already been signed by GPs, doctors, nurses and Shropshire councillors and he hopes to get county MPs to put their name to it.
The petition reads: "This is a level of crisis that has never been seen before in the NHS.
"The catastrophe in ambulance provision has been the most visible symptom of a severe system-wide problem.
"Ambulances queue outside our A&Es at Shrewsbury and Telford because the A&Es are full.
"The A&Es are full because there are not enough hospital beds to which very unwell patients can be moved. Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin has too few hospital beds in the first place – and a lack of social care and community NHS provision means that many patients remain in those beds after they are medically for discharge."
Speaking to the Shropshire Star today he said: "I hope the television programme will highlight the problems faced on a national level if they are not already known as there has been plenty of coverage - and also bring to the attention of a wider audience the problems we are facing in more rural areas."
