Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:49 pm on 9 November 2021.
Yes, First Minister, the reality was that David Evans waited for more than half a day for an ambulance, and that is simply not acceptable. I'm sure you'll be aware of the comments of Darren Panniers, the head of ambulance services in south-east Wales, who has said that
'Prolonged hospital handover delays, high call volume and staff absence have significantly hampered' the ambulance service's
'ability to get to patients quickly in recent weeks.'
He went on to say that as Mr Evans waited for help, more than 840 hours were lost at hospitals in south Wales alone. So, First Minister, will you now apologise to Mr Evans and his family for the unacceptable amount of time he had to wait for an ambulance? Will you now consider setting targets against all ambulance calls, regardless of their categorisation, and will you tell us what the Welsh Government is now doing specifically to ensure that people across Wales aren't having to wait more than half a day for an ambulance?