'Appalling' - Prime Minister Liz Truss quizzed on ambulance wait times

  • Liz Truss speaks to Political Correspondent David Wood on the mini-budget, energy bills, ambulance waits

The Prime Minister has pledged to act on ambulance response times.

Speaking ahead of the Conservative Party conference, Liz Truss has described response times as 'unacceptable' and says she is dedicated to sorting it out.

She's also insisted that improving the economy and encouraging growth with the Chancellor's mini-budget will help improve wages in the future.

It's not the first time Liz Truss has pledged to improve ambulance waiting times, she made a similar pledge during a visit to the South West in the 2019 election campaign.

Talking to ITV News West Country's Political Correspondent David Wood in Birmingham, the Prime Minister said: "During Covid, we saw a backlog build up in our hospitals and what the Health Secretary is working on is reducing that backlog, but also helping more people go into social care, so we can make sure that we improve on ambulance waiting times.

"One of the issues is that, because of a lack of space in hospitals, we were ending up with ambulances backed up."

When questioned on the case of an 87-year-old in Cornwall who had a makeshift tent put around him while waiting for 15 hours for an ambulance to arrive Ms Truss said it was "completely appalling".

An 87-year-old was left waiting in a makeshift tent for 15 hours with seven broken ribs, two pelvic fractures and a severe arm wound Credit: BBC Radio Cornwall

"That's not acceptable," she added.

Although the government has reversed the rise in National Insurance contributions which were introduced to pay for improvements to social care, the Prime Minister pledged the investment will still continue.

She said: "Can I be clear that the money continues to be put into the NHS and social care. What we are not doing is raising the money from ordinary people to fund that."

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Defending the Chancellor's mini-budget, Liz Truss said: "It was vitally important we acted. We understand the families were struggling, that they were facing bills of up to £6,000 for their energy.

"Also that as a country we were facing very high inflation and slowing growth. That's why we acted. If we hadn't acted, we could be in a very, very difficult situation now."

She added: "I completely acknowledge that we are in very, very difficult times. The fact is we are seeing the appalling war perpetrated by Vladimir Putin in Ukraine has pushed up global energy prices, we're seeing interest rates rise globally.

"And what the government is doing is seeking to help people by providing immediate support.

"But also working to get the economy growing because that is so important in order to make sure that we have growing wages in the future."

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