Everyone has their ‘ambulance’ story. My aunt had a heart attack and waited 73 hours for an ambulance. The undertaker only took 42 minutes. My grandma fell over and broke her hip. She died of starvation waiting for paramedics. Even us, when Joey banged a big hole in his head, his dad said to call an ambulance but we decided that we love Joey and didn’t want him bleeding out for 36 hours so took matters into own hands.

And the problem is not with the ambulance drivers. Nor strictly with there being a vast number of sick people. The problem starts with people being well and healthy.

They go to hospital, get treated, sewed up, repaired and then they’re better and should go home. But they can’t. They might have a leg in plaster and need care but live alone. They might be all sorts of things requiring constant assistance but don’t have such support at home. And the ‘care system’ can’t cope and offer help. So they have to stay in hospital until something can be arranged.

But until they leave they can’t put sick people in their beds. So the afflicted lie on stretchers in the A&E until that’s full. Then they put them in the corridors, waiting for beds. Waiting for a well person to finally go home or a sick one to die. Same difference.

Because until they do The ambulances can’t bring anyone new into the hospital. There’s simply no-where to put them. So the patients lie in the back of the ambulance waiting for space. And that can take hours. During which the ambulance obviously can’t go and gather up more afflicted. So those who’ve fallen, got sick, had a heart attack or just don’t feel well, sit at home and wait for someone healthy to go home, for hours and hours as the ambulances all sit outside the hospitals waiting interminably to unload their wounded to allow them to go out again a’gathering.

The obvious solution is that as soon as people are better you make them leave their bed. No help? Tough shit. Need assistance? Your problem. We need the fucking bed!!! Alternatively, as soon as people are well, you kill them. But that’s an ironic loop too far. Possibly too surreal for Dali. But the alternative is at the other end of the cycle, with the ill dying in ambulances, or waiting for them. Effectively, the current situation.

None of it the fault of the ambulance teams. Yet they’re the ones who have to live with it and suffer the massive mental consequences of their collective, institutionally-created impotence.

And all this when England are playing tonight, when it all gets a bit more ‘real’.

Happy Sunday

A xxxx