ON August 1, Cilla Black, aged 72, died from complications after falling at home and hitting her head. On August 15, Harold Beeforth, aged 102, fell, injuring his head but was not considered a priority by North East Ambulance Service and waited for hours for an ambulance (Echo, Aug 18).

The Dales Ambulance monitoring team, a voluntary group set up in 2008 when the ambulance provision in the rural dales was threatened, used official data to study the problems.

For the last seven years, the team has reported a shortage in paramedic crews and a therefore a shortage of vehicles on the road.

The situation has worsened in the last few years with ambulances stacked up at hospitals unable to offload their patients because of bed shortages made worse by the disappearance of respite care in the system.

Ambulances which used to be crewed by a paramedic and a technician are now crewed by a paramedic and a first aid driver, occasionally without a paramedic on board.

With a shortage of ambulances and crews on the road, more and more people like Harold have to wait unacceptably long periods for assistance. Data for the Dales Ambulance monitoring group has been withdrawn.

David Heatherington, Westgate-in-Weardale