Rural ambulance response times still a big problem says Helen

North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan has issued a stark warning about the impact of ambulance station closures on rural communities, calling on the Government to ensure that emergency response times are improved for those living in more isolated areas.

Speaking in a Westminster Hall debate, Helen Morgan highlighted the significant disadvantage faced by rural residents when it comes to emergency healthcare.

Helen pointed out that while national policies aimed at streamlining ambulance services may work in urban areas, they are leaving rural communities dangerously exposed to long delays, even in a perfect world where other problems were solved.

The geographic distance of ambulance stations to Whitchurch, Oswestry and Market Drayton means that even if all plans to fix the NHS were a success, residents of the county’s market towns would still be left waiting above the target time.

This came a day after Helen had spoken on

Helen Morgan, MP for North Shropshire, said, “Let’s focus for a moment on the rural problem.

“I want to imagine an ideal scenario where the issue of handover delays has been resolved, where the urgent and emergency care plan has been implemented and is successful, and the ten-year plan has sorted out some of the other issues we have across the NHS. Even in that best-case scenario, people in rural areas like North Shropshire remain at risk.

“If you live near Oswestry, Whitchurch, or Market Drayton, the nearest community ambulance station has closed. The alternative is often more than 20 minutes away – that’s assuming the roads are clear. Otherwise, if you need an emergency response, you are reliant on a spare ambulance roaming the area, hoping it happens to be nearby when a call comes in. That is simply unrealistic.

“Paramedics need somewhere to rest and recover between callouts, but with centralised ambulance stations now far away from many rural communities, there is little choice but for them to return to these distant hubs. This is a system designed for urban efficiency, but it is failing those in rural areas.”