Mason Moore | Hinckley Reporter | 11 December 2022

A HINCKLEY BASED health campaigner has appeared on national television, calling for long waits for an ambulance to be considered ‘a national emergency’.

Barwell Parish Councillor, Mathew Hulbert, appeared on the BBC News channel, where he said that he hopes government and parliament will take urgent action to help prevent the system letting down other families.

It comes after Mr. Hulbert’s mother Jackie waited 11 hours for an ambulance after a fall at home in Barwell in July. She died at the George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton two days later, after an infection turned to sepsis.

Speaking to presenter Lewis Vaughan Jones, Mr. Hulbert explained: “There’s clearly a system-wide failing going on, on a daily basis, that is leaving people waiting for such a long time.

“I think we need two things. I think we need investment and I think we need reform and I’m primarily talking about the social care aspect of things as it’s because people don’t have a care setting at home or in a care home that they’re having to stay longer in hospital even though they’re well, which means ambulances aren’t able to drop off patients because they’re aren’t available beds and then can’t get out in a timely manner to other calls.

He added: “Things follow on from one another. We need to see investment and we have seen some of that in the recent budget and I give the government credit for that but they’ve put the reform of social care on hold for another two years.

“I think this is a national emergency, we can’t afford to wait two years and so I live in hope that, cross party, Parliament as a whole will recognise that this is a national emergency, will come together on this and will sort the situation out.”

When asked by Mr. Vaughan Jones at the end of the interview as to how he’d like his Mum to be remembered, Mr. Hulbert said: “Gosh, that’s an emotional question. She was a wonderful Mum, a loved Mum, a loved grandma, a very nice person, who I’ll miss to the end of my days.”

Speaking later, Mr. Hulbert said it was “an honour” to be able to raise the issues on a national platform.

He said: “Tragically other individuals and families are facing similar situations on a daily basis so I feel privileged to speak not only on behalf of my dear Mum and my wider family but others too in calling for urgent action to be taken and for system-wide reform to take place.

“My heart also goes out to paramedics and others in the NHS who get into the profession to care for people and to make them better, who also are being let down by the wider systemic problems.

He concluded: “I pledge to continue speaking up and out about this, along with others, until the situation is rectified.”