You know how bad things are when a man can race 200 miles and get to his injured mother before an ambulance:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-47146518
“A man who travelled nearly 200 miles to reach his injured mother arrived before an ambulance reached her. Mark Clements caught a bus, tube and two trains from London to Exmouth, Devon on Saturday after his 77-year-old mother fell and broke her hip. The initial 999 call was made at 09:00 GMT but paramedics did not arrive until seven hours later. South Western Ambulance Service apologised and said it was experiencing "an unprecedented rise in demand". Mr Clements said he and his family - some of whom were waiting with his mother - were "appalled" by what happened. "My mother was lying in an awkward position on a cold conservatory floor and was unable to move," he said. Mr Clements took three hours and 40 minutes to travel from London to Exmouth, arriving at his mother's home at 15:10, about 50 minutes before the ambulance crew. He said relatives called 999 on six different occasions but it was seven hours before an ambulance arrived. "An ambulance station is less than 10 minutes from my mother's home," he added. When paramedics eventually arrived, Mr Clements said they were "equally appalled and astonished" at the delay.”