A HOSPITAL trust says it is 'working hard' after a doctor was forced to drive a patient to A&E himself.

Wilmslow Health Centre took to social media last week to share a video in which Dr Amar Ahmed pleaded for politicians to fix the 'broken' NHS.

The surgery waited three hours for an ambulance to arrive after a patient collapsed but with none forthcoming, staff took the 'difficult decision' to take him in themselves.

East Cheshire NHS Trust has now responded to the video, sharing advice on how people can help reduce ambulance delays.

A spokesperson said: “We’re aware of the video that is circulating online and while we are unable to comment on individual cases, we sympathise with any frustration felt by those involved.

“We appreciate the high level of demand that our colleagues at North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust (NWAS) are experiencing, particularly over the winter months. As a trust we continue to work in collaboration with NWAS to ensure patients are handed over to our Emergency Department as safely and efficiently as possible. 

“Our teams work hard to assess and treat patients quickly whilst working closely with colleagues in Primary and Social Care settings across East Cheshire, with the ultimate aim of ensuring that patients are discharged as soon as possible. 

“To help reduce A&E waits we encourage everyone to only attend A&E and use the ambulance service for serious accidents and emergencies.

"Local pharmacies and your GP surgery can provide support in the first instance where appropriate, while NHS 111 is available 24/7 for medical help and advice.”

READ MORE: ‘Broken’ NHS forces doctor to drive patient to A&E himself

Knutsford Guardian: Dr Amar Ahmed takes the patient to hospitalDr Amar Ahmed takes the patient to hospital (Image: Wilmslow Health Centre)

Standing outside the hospital after delivering the patient, Dr Ahmed called on politicians to take action.

“The system is totally broken,” he said.

“Politicians on both sides need to wake up and do something about it because people are dying.

“This was a gentleman whose condition was really rapidly deteriorating. He should’ve been seen much earlier.

“He waited three hours, he was deteriorating, and we had to make that difficult decision to bring him in to save him.”

NWAS has apologised for the delays and said they will work with hospitals to ensure handover processes are as quick as possible.

A spokesperson said: "We are sorry that we haven't been able to get to the gentleman as quickly as we would have liked.

“The NHS is experiencing a significant spike in demand, leading to delays for some patients, but our staff are trying their best to get those who need us as quickly as possible.

"We continue to work closely with our hospital partners to speed up the handover of patients and allow crews to respond to others who need help in the community.”