Ambulance Roulette: “We are despatching the next available emergency ambulance, but we have to advise you we are currently experiencing delays of up to 12 hours.”
MET Medical is one of the leading private ambulance services in the South of England. Based in St Albans, MET Medical supports the population of Hertfordshire, London, Essex and the surrounding counties. If you have watched the latest series of BBC1’s Ambulance, you will be familiar with the demands the NHS ambulance service faces across the country. In a recent episode, a caller reported a patient had a bone sticking out of their leg, but once they were told about the ambulance delays, they decided to try to make their own way to the hospital. I can only imagine how painful that must have been for the person being moved.
As a Paramedic, father and son I often worry about what would happen if one of my close family or friends became very unwell. I recall a few years ago, I was away on business with my wife and young child in tow. She was struggling to get breathe and we needed to be in hospital. I booked an Uber as I simultaneously called 999 to request an ambulance, which would have been given a category 2 response. The Uber arrived first and took us to A&E very swiftly. Had I not been a Paramedic, I would not have known what to do. More recently, both my parents became unwell and needed an emergency ambulance, one due to a fall that caused spinal damage, the other with severe breathing difficulties. In both cases, a 999 ambulance was called, however due to high demand there were delays in the ambulances attending.
As a business MET Medical is well-aversed to dealing with emergencies. We have supported the NHS for a decade. We provide emergency ambulances to respond to 999 calls and non-emergency ambulances taking people to hospital appointments and between care facilities.
The majority of our private ambulance services involve long distances or hospital appointments. Our Paramedic crews are available to be deployed on a self-pay basis. With growing pressure and limited options, I want to know that if someone I care about needs help I can get it if the emergency services can’t help.
We offer on-demand ambulance services subject to availability in the AL post-code areas. Our crews can attend, provide assistance and assessment. They can also provide transport to both NHS hospitals and private hospitals, including those offering urgent care.
To check availabilty and costs please call 0203 627 9042. Please note these service currently operate 0900-1700 however we are looking to increase coverage.