- Joanne McCartney AM finds the number of ambulances hitting their response time targets in Enfield have significantly dropped over the last 6 months
- Ambulances in Enfield missed target of getting to life-threatening emergencies in under 8 minutes 61% of the time in August
- Despite the fall, spending on Private Ambulances has risen by over 1000% to almost £9m
Analysis of London Ambulance Service response times by Labour London Assembly Member Joanne McCartney, has shown that the number of ambulances call outs in the capital meeting the 8 minute emergency response time target has dropped by 19% to only 62%. In Enfield 61% of emergency responses missed the 8 minute target. Joanne McCartney said that the response times show the severe strain being placed on the London Ambulance Service as a result of a rise in calls at the same time as Government cuts of £53m from the London Ambulance Service budget. In addition to the reductions in response times figures released this week showed that the London Ambulance Service spent £9m on outsourcing to private ambulances last year, this figure was up from only £795,635 in 2011/12, a rise of 1011%. Joanne McCartney AM, Labour London Assembly Member for Enfield and Haringey, said: “Spending almost £9m a year on private ambulances shows just how far the Government is willing to privatise the London NHS. The amount given to private companies to run ambulance services has rocketed by 1011% in the last two years yet the latest figures show ambulance response times have gone down by nearly two minutes in the last six months.
“Ambulances in Enfield are now only hitting the 8 minute response time 61% of the time. That means patients with potentially life threatening conditions being left waiting far longer than they should be - the results could be devastating.
“With the NHS in London facing massive financial challenges people will question why we are paying profit making companies to deliver blue light services.”