Family waits 37 anxious minutes for ambulance to arrive

Thirty-seven minutes is a long time to wait for an ambulance, especially when you’re 11 month old grandson is having a febrile convulsion.

But that’s just what Alison Gibbs and her family had to do last Sunday.  

“We were heart in the mouth the whole time, panicking and hoping they got there before something else happens,” Alison said.

“They told us what to do with Riley (pictured) first and that an ambulance would be dispatched. So we waited, and we heard a siren about 10 minutes afterwards and we thought it was for us.”

But that ambulance was en route elsewhere, and the wait became increasingly agonising.

“We were just hanging around panicking and waiting, someone was standing up on the corner to make sure they (the paramedics) didn’t miss it.”

“There are several ambulance bases within a five to 15 minute drive from my home. Why should it take 37 minutes?”

As it turns out, Riley’s febrile convulsion was not life threatening, and his parents took him to casualty for tests later.

“Now that he’s well we’re happy with that. But it makes you wonder if it was a more serious thing what would have happened in that 37 minutes,” Alison said.

The government must take responsibility for the service, which is “just not good enough” at the moment.

“There’s obviously more funding needed for more paramedics to be trained.”

Alison has nothing but praise for the paramedics she dealt with.

“The lady that answered my 000 call and the paramedics that came to our home were wonderful and we thank them, but what sort of pressure are they under?”