Private ambulance

Briskly

Not sure if this is the right place to post so please forgive. I wondered if anyone had any experience of private ambulances and what they cost? I ask because my 95 year old Mum had a fall in her home and it took 8 hrs for an NHS ambulance to take her to A&E, with her on the floor. Sadly this seems common. I  Would pay for a private ambulance with trained crew to arrive  quickly if this happens again but don't know if this is possible? Grateful for any help. 

cymruchris

It'll depend where you are in terms of what you might be able to get, but many private ambulances tend to be more for moving those that have passed on, or planned medical transfers rather than an A and E response. You can hire St.Johns ambulance for event cover - but I don't think they do 'reactionary' calls either. A service like you need I don't think exists - and it shouldn't exist - as we shouldn't be having to wait 8 hours for an ambulance in the first place. I won't go 'political' - but I hope that when the choice comes whenever it comes - a fresh pair of hands at the wheel might work towards managing and reversing our years of NHS decline, even if the change can't and won't come overnight.

sevenhills

The NHS also uses private ambulances, so they may be in short supply too.

elsien

Private ambulances are not for emergency situations according to this provider. 

https://emapatienttransport.co.uk/blogs/what-is-a-private-ambulance/#:~:text=Specialised%20Equipment%20and%20Vehicles&text=EMA's%20Private%20ambulances%20are%20equipped,of%20their%20specific%20healthcare%20needs.

The only time I’ve come across them is for planned transfers, or at pre-booked and risk assessed events. 

35har1old

cymruchris said:

It'll depend where you are in terms of what you might be able to get, but many private ambulances tend to be more for moving those that have passed on, or planned medical transfers rather than an A and E response. You can hire St.Johns ambulance for event cover - but I don't think they do 'reactionary' calls either. A service like you need I don't think exists - and it shouldn't exist - as we shouldn't be having to wait 8 hours for an ambulance in the first place. I won't go 'political' - but I hope that when the choice comes whenever it comes - a fresh pair of hands at the wheel might work towards managing and reversing our years of NHS decline, even if the change can't and won't come overnight.

St John's help support the regular ambulance 

M25

You'd be as well phoning an ice cream van from what I can see from many private 'ambulance' services.

It's horrible to wait for the NHS but you at least know they're coming and that they know what they're doing.

kayleighali

Part of the issue is that ambulances are unavailable because they are sitting outside A&E departments with nowhere to transfer the patents. If there was such a service, I would imagine they charge by the hour and would you want to pay that for sitting outside A&E for a long period of time? Wouldn't be fair for them to skip the queue in a NHS hospital.

Briskly

Thanks for all the comments everyone. I thought it might be worth a try. It seems a very elderly person on the floor is low priority these days. Maybe a private paramedic might be possible to at least see if she could be moved and assess?

elsien

I think you would need to track down whoever recovered your area and make an enquiry beforehand as to what they can offer, and when.
it may leave you not much further forwards if she does need Hospital though.
I do  think there could be more public education than there is about the unnecessary 999 calls which then cause issues for the genuine cases. Hospital bedspace is definitely an issue, but so is idiots phoning an ambulance for a paracetamol or whatever it is

Grumpy_chap

There are some private (well, non-NHS, including charity) ambulance services that can deliver the response service that the OP seeks.  However, AIUI, most of these actually offer their service to the NHS who contract them in to support peak periods.  I assume the OP would not want to engage the private ambulance outside of peak period in any case.

Costs for a Private Ambulance on response service are around £1k per hour.  I understand the NHS calculate the cost of an NHS ambulance at £417 per hour, so the £1k for a private service is plausible.

A more practical solution might be if the OP can look to plan how this eventuality might be responded to in the future:

• Fall / medical alert button pendant / bracelet
• Local friend / relative that can call on the OP's mother to see how seriously she is in the event of a fall or other incident. 
• Carer that can attend to support
• How near are you to attend if the need arises?

Savvy_Sue

I'd add to the above looking to see if falls can be prevented. Mother will have (inevitably) lost confidence, especially if she isn't aware of any particular reason for the fall. However, I would ask for a referral to the Falls Clinic within Physio (it may have a different name), and push for investigation of any health problems which might lead to dizziness etc. 

If there are loose rugs or other trip hazards within the house, persuading Mother to lose these would be a very good idea. If she has a stick or walker but is resistant to using it correctly, keep pointing out the benefits. Also see if additional grab handles or aids would be useful: if you can get a referral to Occupational Therapy then that could be very helpful.