Having a stroke? Get someone to drive you to A&E. Only if it is safe to do so, of course. Such is the state of the NHS as ambulance workers, paramedics, technicians, call handlers and other staff in parts of the country walk out.
Even before today’s strikes, ambulance waiting times had got out of control. All trusts should respond to Category 2 calls — which include heart attack symptoms, strokes and sepsis — in 18 minutes on average. In March this year, the response time was one hour and one minute. It has fallen back since, but it remains more than double the target.
