Fears for patients as NHS launches electric ambulances ‘significantly limited’ by their range and charging time

Desperate patients could now be forced to wait even longer for emergency medical care after the NHS launched new electric ambulances.

The move by the NHS comes as it works to implement greener policies.

Whistleblowers have said that because electric vehicles take time to charge and do not have a long range, there are concerns that the NHS is putting its net zero targets ahead of patient safety.

The Telegraph reported that an evaluation of the pilot project found that the ambulances took up to four hours to charge and that they traveled an average of 70 miles between charges.

Articles published about the pilot project warn that the lack of reach is a ‘significant factor’.

The vehicles have a range of 100 miles, but rural ambulances typically cover twice that distance in one shift.

The report published following the pilot states that ambulances should have a range of 260 miles.

Standard ambulances can travel up to 800 miles per day and it only takes a few minutes at the gas station to refuel them.

Richard Webber, a paramedic and spokesman for the College of Paramedics, told the Telegraph: ‘I think they really need to provide evidence that this is safe before this is rolled out beyond urban areas.

‘I would be very careful with that.

“If I have a very sick patient, someone who has had a heart attack, and I’m trying to get him to the hospital, I don’t want to have to worry about the battery.”

An emergency medical consultant said: ‘The worst case scenario is the fluid comes up with a patient in the back. I think this is still uncharted territory. I would prefer if they tested all this in the Patient Transport Services, where patterns are much more predictable, than in the emergency department.’

Standard ambulances travel 800 miles per day and can be quickly refilled at gas stations (File Image)

It is because waiting times for ambulances remain high.

Between March 2022 and March 2023, heart attack and stroke victims had an average wait time of 36 minutes, double the target.

In 2022, more than 500 seriously ill people died while waiting for ambulances.

There are also concerns that the new ambulances will cost the already overburdened NHS £150,000 each.

A whistleblower said: ‘Every part of the NHS is under-resourced and waiting lists remain at historic highs, but the commitment to green fanaticism remains unchanged.

‘The amount of resources being devoted to the green agenda is astounding, and the fact that this is now influencing clinical decision-making is, in my view, extremely unethical.’

The NHS is going to spend money £3 million per year for a new team of 48 staff to make the service more environmentally friendly.

Other NHS initiatives include using climate-friendly pain relief for women during labor and using e-bikes to deliver chemotherapy.

Paul Bristow, a Tory member of the Commons health and social care committee, said: ‘Saving lives and keeping patients safe must always come first. The idea that anyone can imagine that climate issues and green fanaticism should be more important than what is best for patients boggles the mind.

‘If the concerns of first responders and ambulance staff are ignored, it only shows that eco-groupthink is a very real concern in our NHS.’

Mark Francois, a Conservative member of the public accounts committee, urged the NHS not to forget its true purpose.

He said: ‘Florence Nightingale once said that ‘the very first requirement in a hospital is that it should do no harm to the sick.’ While achieving net zero is a laudable goal, we cannot allow it to trump common sense, especially when it compromises patient safety.

‘The most important consideration should be the safety, comfort and well-being of the patient.’

An NHS spokesperson said: ‘NHS services must always put patients first when purchasing products and it is right that we look for green alternatives, but only if they save the taxpayer money.

‘Thousands of patients are benefiting from the new electric ambulances, hospitals report they operate efficiently and could deliver annual operational savings of £59 million.’

The NHS was the first national healthcare organization to commit to net zero emissions and aims to achieve this by 2040.