On GMB today, Susanna Reid and Dr Hilary Jones clashed during a debate.
The Good Morning Britain stars butted heads while discussing the delays currently impacting the ambulance service in the UK.
Susanna read out a message from one woman who had called an ambulance when her husband woke up with “severe chest pains” in the early hours of the morning.
The woman said the ambulance didn’t come due to “lack of resources” and her husband, 62, went into cardiac arrest and tragically died.
Susanna Reid and Dr Hilary clash on GMB
This led Susanna to share her own thoughts: “This is what I mean when I say I’m afraid of calling an ambulance. We used to be able to rely on – you’d call 999 and someone would come. Now you can’t be confident that’s going to happen.”
Dr Hilary then went on to say: “That’s right. But at the same time there are people who are abusing the service, people who have got cars outside their house, and could take that patient to the hospital themselves, but call an ambulance.”
However, Susanna then bit back, saying: “That’s not an abuse of the service Dr Hilary.”
“That is an abuse of the service,” Dr Hilary then replied defiantly.
'I'm afraid of calling an ambulance.'@susannareid100 reads out messages from viewers who are recalling their experience with ambulance delays.
It took one viewer 24 hours from calling an ambulance to seeing a doctor. pic.twitter.com/c7pitV8MiM
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) September 7, 2022
“Well hang on,” Susanna replied. “If you’re calling an ambulance, that’s because you want a paramedic team who are going to treat your patient in your home or outside immediately.
“You might be afraid of moving that person, you might be afraid that when you take that person into hospital, you haven’t had all the medication you would need on that journey.”
“To call it an abuse is harsh,” she added.
“Well no, there is abuse,” Dr Hilary added, before going on to discuss paramedics who face physical assaults from patients, which Susanna agreed is “unforgivable”.
According to recent reports, as many as 500 people are dying every week in England because of the crisis in NHS emergency departments.
So far this year, ambulances took an average of 59 minutes and seven seconds to respond to category two calls, such as burns, epilepsy and strokes.
Shockingly, this is three times longer than the 18-minute target set by NHS England.
GMB viewers slam Dr Hilary
In response to their clash, some GMB viewers took to Twitter to hit out at Dr Hilary.
“So Dr Hilary pushed the blame onto those needing ambulances and diverted to carers and social care,” ranted one viewer. “The NHS is failing we need to be asking why and addressing it.”
A second tweeted: “Can @DrHilaryJones clarify his statement about people abusing ambulance service? When are people supposed to use their own car? When you think a loved one is having a heart attack for example? Right now I’m guessing it would be quicker which is horrendous but is that what he’s saying?”
“Abuse of the system? When you get to A and E with your sick patient via car you then have to wait in reception to be triaged which can take hours and hours with no medical support! It’s inhumane!” complained a third.
However, some spoke in defence of Dr Hilary.
One viewer hit back: “Susanna Reid you are just rude. You know better than the Dr do you? You need to get another job, you have been back all of 3 days and have turned you off.”
Susanna pays tribute to late co-star
Elsewhere on daytime TV, Susanna recently paid tribute to her late co-star, Bill Turnbull.
Bill tragically passed away last week following a battle with cancer.
In a touching post on Twitter, former BBC Breakfast star Susanna told her followers: “Bill was the kindest, funniest, most generous man in the business.
Read more: GMB viewers divided over Susanna Reid’s co-host: ‘Useless!’
“I feel lucky to have worked with him and he taught me everything. But above all, he was devoted to his family and I am heartbroken for them.”
She then added: “RIP Bill. We will miss you so much.”
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