AMBULANCE pressures are real, they are now, and unless action is taken, there are dark days in the pipeline.

After being afforded the privilege of seeing these unsung heroes right from the front seat of a paramedic car, blue lights blaring, I fully understand the concerns.

I joined Senior paramedic Sally Bottomley at 7am as she began a new day on the frontline of medical care in Wrexham – where things happen so quickly a breakfast of hot porridge remains untouched.

My first thought was yet again, TV hasn’t been very truthful. As we raced to the call, I was struck but how many people failed to move out of the way, despite time being of the essence.

So in that that, I took in my surreal surroundings. It’s smaller than an ambulance but still packed with a lot of equipment and PPE, which must be cleaned after use.

Our first call of the day was a woman who called 999 at 5am with pains, struggling to breathe, but due to the lack of available resources, she wasn’t seen until we got there at 7.32am.

All calls that day were graded as amber, serious but not life-threatening, but I couldn’t stop thinking just how many didn’t need an ambulance – which leaves people waiting hours, with hundreds of people descending on A&E.

Seeing this up close and speaking to Sally and her colleagues, a life that could have been saved elsewhere is being placed in danger by unnecessary 999 calls.

But to that person making the call, who can't get a GP appointment or is scared out of their wits, what else can they do? That’s the stark reality.

When comparing last year to now, Sally said: “Last year was scary. It was the fear of the unknown, we were going to a lot of Covid calls, we still are but we are a lot more aware. It’s part of the job now.

“It was really nice, we felt well respected in the community, people were clapping in the streets. We felt the NHS was being used correctly, it was more satisfying to work, we were there for the emergency calls, and we were responding on time.

“You’re trusting the public that they need an emergency response if they have called 999.”

From the minute she started, Sally was on the go from call to call which she told me was 'the norm'. I was asked how I'd feel going into a Covid-positive home, as they are seeing more cases, and it unnerved me. Covid is our reality, but knowing I could be face to face with it worried me. I got the choice, but these brave people don't, they risk their health to save lives and that's incredible.

Despite being down for two breaks, she only managed to get one before she was whisked back out to action and toilet breaks were thrown to the back of your mind.

I saw first-hand a lot of frustration from patients who had waited hours for an ambulance, can't get hold of their GP or fail to access medication. Paramedics are exhausted, working in conditions most would find unimaginable.

But despite this, Sally remained professional and extremely kind and considerate throughout. She told me it can be ‘embarrassing’ when they turn up late, but everything seems to be a ‘big back log’ lately.

Patients are told as soon as they call 999 it could be a long wait for a paramedic due to increasing demands.

By 11.30am, there were 29 emergency calls outstanding, with ambulance vehicles also being stuck outside of hospitals.

Hours before Sally was set to finish her shift, an 82-year-old woman who waited five hours for a response had to be sent to hospital. This warranted a wait for back-up transport to arrive and then a longer wait for patient handover outside the hospital.

We got to the Maelor around 4.40pm and there were 10 ambulances outside – one of which had been there since 10:10am, all waiting for a space. It may be a new day but it's the same old routine.

In A&E, there were 90 people waiting, down from 110 earlier in the morning, with more people coming through the doors. How many of which warranted an actual emergency response, I don't know.

It was mayhem. Emotions are high, staff are struggling. But this is the stark reality. If action is not taken now, there are real fears for the coming winter months.

I take my hat off to the heroes facing these immense pressures with a smile on their face and sadness in their eyes.

We, as the public, need to do more to save our NHS, to help those on the frontline because help is not coming from elsewhere. This is not an us-vs-them, this requires the unity seen back at the start of the pandemic.

Paramedics need you, they need you to only call 999 in an emergency and to use A&E appropriately.

The power for change is in your hands.