Almost half of ambulance crews were delayed by more than half an hour dropping off patients at England’s A&E departments in the week to New Year’s Day, new figures reveal.
Some 44% were delayed by 30 minutes or more – the highest proportion on record.
More than a quarter (26%) were delayed by more than an hour.
The figures lay bare the pressures hospitals have faced in recent weeks, with flu cases rising by 47%.
During his first major speech of 2023 on Wednesday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that issues facing the NHS were “at the forefront of everyone’s minds”.
“I know there are challenges in A&E – people are understandably anxious when they see ambulances queuing outside hospitals,” he added, before reassuring that the government is “taking urgent action”.
Addressing how action is being taken, he said: “Increasing bed capacity by 7,000 more hospital beds and more people cared for at home; providing new funding to discharge people into social care and the community, freeing up beds and the NHS are working urgently on further plans for A&E and ambulances.”
On 1 January, Sky News counted 24 ambulances parked outside the A&E department at the Royal Stoke University Hospital.
A member of ambulance staff told Sky News that at one point in the day their official dashboard showed 32 ambulances were stuck waiting to transfer patients at the hospital, with additional vehicles waiting round the back of the hospital after space at the front was taken.
