THE new North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan has already written to Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, to take urgent action on the county's ambulance crisis.

Ms Morgan, who took a shock victory in Thursday's North Shropshire by-election, put healthcare at the top of her promises to the electorate.

She has demanded that Mr Javid launch an immediate review into why thousands of people are left having to wait hours for an ambulance to take them for emergency treatment.

She said: “There is no time to waste in solving the crippling ambulance crisis which puts lives in danger.

“With a worrying new wave of Covid infections set to put new strains on our underfunded and overstretched NHS, I am concerned ambulance waiting times in Shropshire could become worse in the weeks ahead.

“It was clear from my thousands of conversations on the doorstep that the ambulance crisis is the biggest concern to local people, and I will take up the mantle of demanding we get more funding to solve it.”

Her letter to the Health Secretary calls for a Care Quality Commission (CQC) review into ambulance services in England, with all ambulance services across the country now at REAP level 4, the highest level meaning that ambulance services are under “extreme pressure”.

In it, she says that with Covid rates rising, there is now a fear the ambulance crisis in Shropshire will worsen.

She added: "The region already has one of the worst performing ambulance services, with new figures released over the weekend revealing 52 per cent of patients at Royal Shrewsbury are left waiting more than 30 minutes in an ambulance before being handed over to A&E.

"The backlog in A&E, and shortages of ambulances, leaves those in need of emergency care left waiting dangerously long amounts of times before receiving care."

Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP added: "The Liberal Democrats have already set out a five-point plan on how the Government could cut ambulance waiting times, including emergency funding for areas such as Shropshire.

“Helen cares passionately about her community and has hit the ground running by demanding this action within hours of being elected.”