Shropshire MP highlights ‘rural problem’ over ambulance wait targets
North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan has issued a stark warning about the impact of ambulance station closures on rural communities, calling on the Government to ensure that emergency response times are improved for those living in more isolated areas.
Speaking in a Westminster Hall debate, Helen Morgan highlighted the significant disadvantage faced by rural residents when it comes to emergency healthcare.
Helen pointed out that while national policies aimed at streamlining ambulance services may work in urban areas, they are leaving rural communities dangerously exposed to long delays, even in a perfect world where other problems were solved.
The geographic distance of ambulance stations to Whitchurch, Oswestry and Market Drayton means that even if all plans to fix the NHS were a success, residents of the county’s market towns would still be left waiting above the target time.
This came a day after Helen had spoken on the worrying decline in community pharmacies and the declining state of primary care services in North Shropshire, a trend which is leaving more and more people in need of attention at A&E.
