20 April 2023 , 20:40
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Each day 120 people on average die before an ambulance can reach them.
Many of these lives could have been saved if we had an NHS that was fit for purpose.
But under the Tory Government, emergency response times have hit a record high.
The average time for an ambulance to arrive for someone suffering stroke, severe burns or chest pain is now 93 minutes. This is five times longer than the target of 18 minutes.
The blame cannot be laid at the door of paramedics, who provide the best possible service under increasingly stressful conditions.
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The responsibility lies with a Government that has failed to invest in the NHS.
The delays are caused by cuts to mental health services and preventative care.
They are the result of a lack of hospital beds, which has had knock-on impact on ambulance handover times and therefore response times.
And they are the consequence of the low pay and morale that has caused one in 10 paramedics to leave the profession in the last year.
Don’t blame the NHS, blame the Tories.
Leaders’ greed
There is one group insulated from the cost of living crisis: the bosses of the country’s biggest companies.
The chief executives of major firms were paid a combined £420million last year.
At a time when the majority of workers are desperate for a wage rise, their bosses’ average pay and perks have increased by 40%.
Tory ministers claim that paying public sector employees more would stoke inflation.
But they have not uttered a word of condemnation as greedy bosses stuff even more banknotes into their already bulging pockets.
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These double standards are typical of a Government that panders to the rich while ignoring the plight of the poor.
Paul the best
There were flowers, dogs and wigs at Paul O’Grady’s funeral.
But above all there was lots of love for one of the kindest, funniest people in showbiz.