BRITAIN’S ambulance shortage has been laid bare after a daughter gave her mum CPR for two hours because paramedics never came.
Emmanuella Yamphet’s mum begged for help from 999, but instead was sent a taxi – by which time it was too late and she tragically died.
Victoria, who was 40, died at home in Dagenham, east London in January 2023 after suffering from stomach pain[/caption]
Taxis are being sent to transport patients because of an ambulance shortage[/caption]
Taxi drivers said they aren’t medically trained and sometimes aren’t told if they are being sent into an emergency situation[/caption]
Victoria, who was 40, died at home in Dagenham, east London in January 2023 after suffering from stomach pain.
The support worker died in front of her terrified daughters, then aged nine and 18.
It comes as thousands of patients calling 999 are now being rushed to hospital in taxis instead of ambulances due to a shortage of emergency vehicles.
It has left Emmanuella having to look after her little sister, who is 12-years-old.
She told The Sun: “My mother’s passing has affected us in so many ways.
“Life has been really hard, especially as I’ve had to take care of my little sister Emily, who is only 12.
“It hasn’t been easy balancing everything, and there are days where I feel completely alone without anyone to guide me or give me the motherly support I miss so much.
“I’ve also been struggling with depression since her passing, and it’s started to affect other areas of my life, including my studies at university.
“I’ve found myself falling behind and losing the focus I once had, which has been very discouraging.
“At times it feels overwhelming, but I’m doing my best to keep going for myself and my sister.”
Emanuella was initially told an ambulance would arrive within 10 minutes of her 999 call, but it never came.
She called again and was told it would now be an hour wait, and she told them her mum couldn’t wait that long.
An hour after her first call, she was told a taxi was being sent instead.
But by that time, it was too late. Victoria stopped breathing with her daughters by her side.
Emanuella put her mum in the recovery position and performed CPR, “screaming and crying” for the ambulance to get there quicker.
Little Emily was on the floor next to her mum the entire time, shaking her and begging her to wake up.
Emanuella said: “My mother was left for an hour and 45 minutes to be in pain.
“When they came, they did everything they could but it was too late by then.
“My mum was a support worker, she always looked after people, but when it was her turn she wasn’t taken care of.”
The sisters said they were left with their mum’s body for over six hours.
Dr Fenella Wrigley, Chief Medical Officer for London Ambulance Service, said: “We are deeply sorry for the delay in responding to Ms Yamphet and once again offer our sincere condolences to her family and friends.
“Since completing a review of her care in 2023, we have increased the number of clinicians within our 999 control room and enhanced their training.”
The LAS said that taxis aren’t sent to patients who are considered to have a “serious or life threatening injury” and there are procedures in place.
Sadly, this is not a one-off case.
‘I SCREAMED FOR THEM TO COME QUICKER’
Taxi drivers say they are acting as back-up ambulances, unfairly being put in emergency situations that they don’t have the medical training or equipment to deal with.
A relative of a man who died after being transported on a plank of wood because there were no ambulances available said: “I knew the NHS was dying… but it’s already dead.”
Ambulance services have been using taxis to transport patients for years, but the practice is rising – and it’s risking lives.
Taxis are used to transport people who have been poisoned, are overdosing, have attempted suicide or having a fit.
They are also used if someone has a heart attack, are giving birth, having a miscarriage or have been struck by lightning.
Many ambulance services have blasted people for using them as a “free taxi” for non-emergencies.
But it seems they have no qualms about using taxis themselves.
London Centric recently reported that the London Ambulance Service has agreed a £3.6million contract with private hire operator Addison Lee to take people to hospital.
In 2024-2025, they splashed out almost £300,000 on minicabs from the firm for non-emergency patients.
But both taxi drivers and patients are concerned about what this means for them.
THOUSANDS OF TAXIS BILLED A MONTH
West Sussex disclosed to The Sun that it makes “over 20,000 payments” to taxi firms each month.
Last year, over 16,000 cabs were dispatched by the London Ambulance Service.
In 2024, The Sun reported that the number of “very urgent” cases getting a lift or taxi to casualty rose 39 per cent since 2019.
And in 2023, it was reported that the NHS was spending £400,000 a day on private ambulances and taxis.
Liberal Democrat MP Daisy Cooper previously called this an “Uber-ambulance” crisis.
‘WE’RE NOT TRAINED FOR THIS’
Jonathan Fisher, from Coastal Taxis Newquay, told The Sun: “We are seeing instances where taxis are being used to transport people to hospital when ambulances aren’t available quickly enough, particularly for non-emergency cases.
“The reality is that while a taxi can sometimes provide a practical solution, drivers aren’t trained medical professionals.
“I personally have some first aid experience, but I don’t believe that’s anywhere near sufficient to deal with a medical situation en route.
“An ambulance carries both the right equipment and trained paramedics — that’s something we simply cannot replace.
“From our perspective, it can also put pressure on local firms during busy times, as we’re trying to cover regular bookings as well as unexpected hospital trips.
“It highlights just how stretched emergency services are, especially in rural areas like Cornwall.
“In my personal experience, it’s often been heart-related issues and suspected strokes — and that’s across a wide range of ages, from people in their late 20s through to those in their 70s.
“That really underlines the concern: taxis are sometimes being used for conditions that can deteriorate quickly, and drivers simply don’t have the medical training or equipment to respond if that happens.”
The Royal Cornwall Hospital in Treliske, Truro[/caption]
‘HE DESERVED SO MUCH BETTER’
A coroner in Cornwall slammed the “systematic” NHS crisis of ambulance delays and shortages following the death of Andrew Waters.
An inquest found that Andy, 56, may have lived if an ambulance had come.
He had an unknown heart condition and suffered agonising pain on the evening of May 23, 2024.
His wife called 999 and reported pain in his chest, numbness in his arms, sickness and trembling – and it was designated as the second most serious category.
But an ambulance never arrived as none were available. The call handler later ordered a taxi at 4.40am, and Andy arrived at hospital at 5.37am – three hours after his wife first called.
He had a heart attack and was given emergency heart surgery, but staff sadly could not save him despite their best efforts.
His widow told the inquest she could not fault the medical staff once they finally arrived, but her husband “deserved so much better” from the ambulance service.
She said at the time: “I am angry, I am sad and I don’t believe this should have happened. To have been sent a taxi is disgusting.”
Coroner Guy Davies issued a Prevention of Future Deaths Report having found a number of failings.
“The ambulance delay denied Andrew the opportunity of potentially lifesaving treatment,” Mr Davies said.
“In Andrew’s case the unavailability of ambulance resources meant that the South West Ambulance Service Trust (SWAST) had to resort to sending a taxi to try and get Andrew to hospital in time.
“The taxi driver was not informed that the ride was for a patient having a heart attack.
“Nevertheless, the taxi driver made every effort to get Andrew to hospital as quickly as lawfully possible.”
A spokesperson for Cornwall and Isles of Scilly health and care system said previously: “We are sorry for the unacceptable delay in Mr Waters’ care, and we would like to offer our sincere condolences to his family and friends.
“We are working together with health and care partners to improve emergency care to reduce hospital handover times and ensure patients in need of urgent care can access suitable services more quickly. We are making progress but accept we still have more to do.
“We are already providing more care and treatment in people’s homes and in their local community so we can free up our hospitals to admit the most acutely unwell or injured more quickly and consequently improve ambulance response times.”
The ambulance service told The Sun that only clinicians can approve the use of a taxi, and and only companies already approved for this can be used.
Melvyn Ryan, 89, who had to be taken to hospital strapped to a plank in the back of a van due to a lack of ambulances[/caption]
THE NHS IS ALREADY DEAD
In Cwmbran, South Wales, 89-year-old Melvyn Ryan had to be taken to hospital strapped to a plank in the back of a van due to a lack of ambulances.
His granddaughter Nicole Lea, who was 27 at the time, posted on Facebook in 2022, slamming the NHS after the ordeal.
“I knew the NHS was dying. I knew that wait times were long,” she wrote.
She had been alerted by a call from the emergency lifeline button around his neck, and found Melvyn lying on the floor with a broken shoulder, bleeding from his head.
The firefighter from Pontypool phoned 999 but was told no ambulances were available.
She said: “I knew that they were understaffed and underpaid. What I didn’t know when I called 999 in the early hours of this morning was that they’d just turn around and say they weren’t sending help.
“What I didn’t know was how to get my 89-year-old grandfather with a broken hip, head injury and broken shoulder to hospital without it killing him.
“What I didn’t know is they’d hang up on me and expect me to figure out how to keep him alive and get him help, and only because of teamwork, brainstorming and quick thinking did three of us manage to get him there safe and rushed there on a plank of wood in the back of a van.
“I knew the NHS was dying… but it’s already dead.”
The Welsh Ambulance Service said this was below what it aimed to offer and the Health Minister at the time, Eluned Morgan – who is now the First Minister of Wales – apologised.
A spokesperson for the Welsh Ambulance Service told The Sun: “The Trust is committed to prioritising ambulances for those in the greatest need.
“Taxis may be considered as an alternative means of transport for patients who are assessed as suitable, and appropriate for transfer to a care destination.
“A taxi is not used as a first response and would only be arranged following some clinical oversight.”
The Sun has approached the Department of Health and Social Care for comment.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer with Wales’ First Minister, Eluned Morgan[/caption]