Dire need for social care investment says MP after day with ambulance crews
Roz Savage said her experience was "eye-opening" during a 12-hour shift with the South West Ambulance Service
A South West MP says there's a desperate need for investment in social care to ease the strain on hospitals after spending a day with the ambulance service.
Roz Savage, MP for the South Cotswolds, gained a first-hand insight into the challenges facing healthcare systems when spent a 12-hour shift with the South West Ambulance Service in Cirencester after hearing concerns from her constituents about the struggles of the NHS.
The experience, which she described as "eye-opening", highlighted the critical issues hospitals face, which Dr Savage referred to as a 'broken front door and broken back door,' impacting efficiency and patient care.
Roz expressed gratitude towards the ambulance crew for sharing their perspectives, noting how some cases seen that day might have been managed without ambulance involvement if there had been quicker access to GP services.
Addressing delays upon arrival at the hospital, she observed the lengthy handover process and attributed it partly to the shortage of hospital beds as patients await adequate at-home care.
She said, “It would be great to see a big recruitment drive for people like district nurses and home carers."
Resources can be made more effective
The shift follows concerns raised by her constituents about NHS operations, a topic she believes resonates with MPs nationwide.
Roz emphasized the potential for strategic use of existing NHS resources over simply increasing financial investment.
She said, "Care in a hospital bed is extremely expensive and I would suggest that a lot of people who are ending up in hospital would benefit by investment in ways that they can not have to go to a hospital."
Government officials urged to work with front line staff
Intending to present her findings to Government, Dr Savage is urging officials to directly engage with healthcare workers and others on the industry's frontline to enhance resource allocation and address crucial issues more effectively.
"Talk to the people on the front line," she said. "You get much better outcomes and a much better and more efficient use of money when government is willing to actually work with the people who are going to be affected."
Dr Savage underscores the importance of collaboration across sectors, ranging from healthcare to agriculture and education, to achieve better results and address systemic needs.
Her message to leaders like Health Secretary Wes Streeting advocates humility and engagement with industry professionals to enhance governmental interventions and the effective investment in critical services.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Ambulance workers across the country do an extraordinary job every single day. Their professionalism, compassion and resilience – often in the most challenging circumstances – are vital to keeping patients safe.
“That is why we took action to prepare for winter earlier than ever before, including rolling out 500 new ambulances across the country to improve response times.
“We also did things differently: expanding GP access, rolling out vaccines earlier, harnessing technology, and helping more people stay well at home rather than in hospital to ensure patients get the care they need.”