Mike Penning MP concerned at ambulance journey times study findings

Mike Penning MP has voiced his concerns over today's report that proves a significant increase of death with longer journey times to hospital.

Reacting to an Emergency Medicine Journal report that research backs-up commonly held beliefs that there is a significantly greater risk of dying the further patients have to travel to get to hospital, Mike Penning, MP for Hemel Hempstead, has again condemned the Government’s plans to close the A&E in Hemel.

“In effect this proves that the Government’s policy is a death-sentence for some of my constituents” he said.

The report was based on a study by the University of Sheffield of life-threatening (category A) calls for four ambulance services in England between 1997 and 2001. Only those who were unconscious, not breathing or had chest pain were included in the study. A total of 10,315 patients were studied and of those, 644 died, but the further patients had to travel by ambulance, the more likely they were to die.

Of the patients with breathing problems – the most high risk group – there was a 13% risk of dying if they had to travel between 10 and 20km. This increased to 20% if the distance was 20 or more km.

Mike said:
”This is very alarming news, the distance to Watford A&E from parts of Hemel, such as Woodhall Farm, are over 20km – let alone the distance to villages such as Potten End.

“This study highlights what to most of us is common sense. Patients suffering from heart or breathing problems or a suspected stroke need to get to a hospital quickly. Hemel residents are not convinced that this will be possible if they have to travel to Watford.

“Hemel needs an A&E. This is going to be even more critical if the town is to grow by a third – as planned by the Government. It simply just does not make sense.”

The distance between Hemel Hempstead A&E and Waford A&E is 15.1km. The distance between Sainsbury’s in Woodhall Farm and Watford A&E is 20.8km. (www.theaa.com).