Latest news with #hospitaltreatment
BBC News
22-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
NIAS volunteers drive cancer and kidney dialysis patients
Kindness, compassion and a free car ride goes a long way when you're undergoing hospital treatment for health issues, such as terminal cancer or kidney patients rely on the goodwill of strangers, many of whom become volunteer drivers for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) are among the lesser known roles that keep the health service ticking along - and they do it all for free."It is vital to the running of NIAS," said Yvonne McMichael from NIAS."They go above and beyond on the daily." More than 75 people, from across Northern Ireland, give up their time - and cars - as part of NIAS's Voluntary Car them is Willie Hutchinson whose three children have all had kidney their transplants, they underwent dialysis - a procedure which removes waste products and excess fluid from the blood when the kidneys stop working."They used the car service quite a lot to get to the renal units," the former lorry driver told BBC News him, volunteering is his way of "pay back"."Somebody did it for them so I'm doing it for somebody else," he said. In 2023, the grandfather of six was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to Hutchinson's nominee was a patient he brought to and from hospital appointments for a number of years."The day that I got the award, I had brought him home – he wasn't well – and I took him into the house and he more or less fell into the chair," he said."I told his wife to ring for the doctor."He died that afternoon so he never found out that I'd got the award after all the work he had done to put me forward for it."It was a bit sad and bittersweet that he didn't know I'd got it but his family were thrilled to bits for me." 'Not just transport' The volunteer drivers are not employed, or paid, by NIAS, and only receive a mileage allowance for transporting patients - in their own cars - to and from hospital voluntary service saves NIAS money as it is significantly cheaper - and uses less resources - than taxis or Nicholl, a former mayor of Mid and East Antrim, has been on dialysis for almost seven years and relies on the service."I can tell you from experience that volunteer drivers are not just transport but they're part of the caring system," he said."These volunteer drivers give of their time freely. It's not just a lift to them, they have compassion, they bring calmness at a time when a patient like me needs that." With ambulances in high demand staff and resources stretched, Yvonne McMichael, who oversees the volunteer car service, says the work the volunteers do is "top tier"."With the capacity levels that we have at the minute, we do not have enough ambulances to provide the service to everyone who needs to get," she said."They cover Northern Ireland, providing service to seven renal units and also transferring patients to the two cancer centres at Belfast City Hospital and Altnagelvin, as well as taking patients to other appointments." Before becoming a volunteer driver, Martin Garrity had worked in an office for 35 years."I wanted a wee change," he said."I was chatting to a friend of mine who was doing voluntary driving at the time and he suggested to me I try it and 15 years on, I'm still here."For him, the best thing about it is the people he has met."When you have your patients maybe three times a week, you build up a friendship with them and their families and they're so appreciative," he said."You get close to them and they confide in you about certain things. Sometimes there's bad news and it's sad, it's tough."So will he still be volunteering in another 15 years?"I hope so," he said."The reward you get is worth it and I'd say the other drivers would say the same."
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Abandon strikes or risk ‘fragile' NHS recovery, Streeting warns resident doctors
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has called for resident doctors to 'abandon their unreasonable rush to strike' after warning NHS recovery is 'fragile'. It comes as new data shows the waiting list for routine hospital treatment in England has fallen for the second consecutive month to its lowest in more than two years. However, the number of patients facing the longest waits increased, according to NHS figures. An estimated 7.36 million treatments were waiting to be carried out in England at the end of May, relating to just under 6.23 million patients – down from 7.39 million treatments and just over 6.23 million patients at the end of April. These are the lowest figures since March 2023 for treatments and April 2023 for patients. The number of patients waiting more than 18 months to start routine treatment also fell to 1,237 in May from 1,361 in April. However, some 11,522 people were waiting more than 65 weeks to start treatment, up from 9,258 in the previous month. The number of patients waiting more than 52 weeks also increased for the second consecutive month – to 196,920, up from 190,068 at the end of April – after falling for 10 months in a row. Some 2.7% of people on the waiting list for hospital treatment had been waiting more than 52 weeks in May, up from 2.6% in April. The Government and NHS England have set a target of March 2026 for this figure to be reduced to less than 1%. Earlier this week, the British Medical Association (BMA) announced resident doctors – formerly junior doctors – in England would walk out for five consecutive days from 7am on July 25. Mr Streeting said the recovery of the health service 'is only just beginning, and it is fragile'. 'It is only with NHS staff and the Government working together that we can rebuild our NHS so it is there for patients once again,' he said. 'That is why I am once again urging the BMA to abandon their unreasonable rush to strike and work with us to improve resident doctors' working lives instead.' Health chiefs also warned industrial action would jeopardise 'hard-won progress to cut waiting lists and efforts to see patients quicker'. Previous strikes by resident doctors have taken place 11 times since 2022, leading to almost 1.5 million appointments being cancelled or rescheduled. Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, said: 'These figures show NHS staff are working flat out to deliver more care to patients with waiting lists falling and tests, checks and treatments soaring despite record levels of demand. 'Trust leaders now face the bleak prospect of a full five-day walkout by resident doctors jeopardising this hard-won progress to cut waiting lists and efforts to see patients quicker. 'The focus now will be on planning to ensure services are as safe as possible for patients.' Elsewhere, data shows 75.5% of patients in England were seen within four hours in A&Es last month, up slightly from 75.4% in May. The Government and NHS England have set a target of March 2026 for 78% of patients attending A&E to be admitted, discharged or transferred within four hours. The number of people waiting more than 12 hours in emergency departments from a decision to admit to actually being admitted – so-called 'corridor care' – fell to 38,683 in June, down from 42,891 in May. The number waiting at least four hours from the decision to admit to admission also fell, standing at 118,171 in June, down from 130,035 in May. Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS England's co-national medical director (secondary care), said: 'This continued recovery has been a national effort across the health service and it would – of course – be hugely disappointing if this progress were to stall this summer due to industrial action.' The latest monthly NHS performance figures come a month after the Government unveiled its 10-year plan, which will aim to shift more care from hospitals into the community, with a focus on better use of technology and sickness prevention. Tim Gardner, assistant director of policy at the Health Foundation, said: 'The NHS is not broken but it is in a critical condition, so the scale of the Government's ambitions are welcome and necessary. 'What we need to see now is concrete action to transform how care is delivered.' However, Danielle Jefferies, senior analyst at the King's Fund, said: 'The details in the Government's 10-year plan for health are too vague to assess what gradual improvements we will see in data for other important areas like how long we wait in A&E or for an ambulance if someone has a stroke, or for psychological treatments. 'In the coming months and years, the Government will need to be honest with the public over what trade-offs we should expect in the care we receive as it sets about delivering on its planned reforms. 'Potential forthcoming industrial action can also impact patient care across a wide range of services, affecting how long patients wait and our mental and physical health.' Sarah Scobie, deputy director of research at Nuffield Trust, welcomed progress on waiting lists, but said 'there is an incredibly long way to go' to meet the 18-week target. She added: 'Another round of resident doctor strikes this summer will inevitably have an impact on patients waiting for treatment and it will be harder for the Government to make headway on its 10-year plan for health while this dispute is rumbling on.'
