MP’s health survey reveals 1 in 10 people having to wait over an hour for ambulance

A survey of people in the South Lakes conducted by local MP Tim Farron has found that around 1 in 10 people who responded have waited over an hour for an ambulance during the last three years.

Out of the 233 people who said they had dialled 999, 23 said they had to wait over an hour for an ambulance to arrive, with three of those saying they had to cancel the callout as the wait was too long.

Tim said: "Our ambulance crews do a wonderful job of taking care of us, and I found that out first hand when I spent a day out with them last year.

"But what the results of my survey show, on top of anecdotal evidence of people writing to me, is that our local ambulances having to take people to Barrow and Lancaster instead of Kendal means that people in parts of the South Lakes who have an emergency will have to wait far too long for help.

"Having secured an Urgent Treatment Centre at Westmorland General Hospital there is now scope for more people to be able to be seen closer to home - I'll help our local hospitals trust in any way that I can to make this happen."