Thousands of people wait overnight for ambulances including sick babies and stroke victims

Thousands who phone for an ambulance are waiting until the next day: Sick babies, stroke victims and those over 100 are all hit by delays

• Some 2,028 people did not see an ambulance until the day after they called it
• The number of people kept waiting more than quadrupled in just four years
• The 2017 figures reveal more than half of lengthy waits were by people over 70
• But babies, pregnant women and a gunshot or stabbing victim also had to wait

Thousands of people who phone ambulances have to wait until the next day before one arrives.

NHS figures have revealed more than 2,000 people waited overnight for an emergency ambulance last year – up from just 440 in 2013.

And among those were a man who had been shot or stabbed, at least seven people over 100 years old, people who had attempted suicide and somebody who had suffered a stroke.

There were more than 10 million 999 calls for ambulances last year, compared to 8.5 million in 2013-14.

Campaigners say the delays suggest people ‘can’t rely on the NHS’ like they used to, but ambulance services say it is a matter of priorities and is not a growing problem.

The number of people who phoned an ambulance in the evening but did not see one until after 6am the following day more than quadrupled between 2013 and 2017 in England and Wales

Figures from ambulance trusts around England and Wales show 2,028 people waited overnight for an ambulance in 2017.

The number more than quadrupled in the four years from 2013 to 2017.

More than half of those patients were aged over 70 and the largest category of cases is elderly people having falls, The Times reported.

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People suffering strokes, heart problems, severe pain and breathing problems were among those left waiting.

And extreme cases included a man who waited more than six hours after being shot or stabbed, and a newborn baby who waited 16 hours for an emergency transfer.

‘It’s hard to escape the feeling that patients can’t quite rely on the NHS as thoroughly as they used to, and this is a clear example,’ Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association told The Times.

Suicide attempts and people with epilepsy kept waiting 

People with potentially life-threatening conditions epilepsy and sepsis, those with chest pain, and people who had tried to kill themselves were also kept waiting.

SOME OF THE WORST CASES FOR LONG AMBULANCE WAITS IN 2017 

• A 98-year-old in Wales waited for 32 hours for an ambulance to arrive
• A 72-year-old in the East Midlands was stuck between a bed and a wall for nine hours while waiting
• A 13-year-old girl who tried to commit suicide by overdose waited 10 hours
• A 30-year-old was stabbed or shot; an ambulance was phoned between 10pm and midnight but did not arrive until between 6am and 8am, although a paramedic was on the scene in 32 minutes
• A stroke patient needed an ambulance at 9.24pm but it didn’t arrive until 7.48am – more than 10 hours later
• A newborn baby needed an emergency hospital transfer between 6pm and 8pm but no ambulance arrived until midday the next day, although a paramedic was on the scene after 22 minutes

Source: The Times  

In one case, a 13-year-old girl who tried to end her life with a drug overdose did not see an ambulance crew for 10 hours.

There were dozens of other attempted suicides among the figures.

In Wales, a 98-year-old was kept waiting for 32 hours and in the East Midlands a 72-year-old was stuck between a bed and a wall for nine hours before paramedics arrived. 

The Times uncovered the information by asking all NHS ambulance trusts how many times someone had made a 999 call in the evening and not seen an ambulance until after 6am the following day.

Number of delays was 1,588 higher in 2017 than in 2013 

All the trusts except one replied, and showed the total number of lengthy delays rose by 1,588 between 2013 and 2017.

Those running the ambulances blame a rising demand and cuts to social care, but insist the NHS is still quick to help those in real emergencies.

Miriam Deakin, spokesperson for NHS Providers told The Times: ‘A continued mismatch between rising demand and resources available will lead to, on occasion, some patients waiting longer.

‘We have also seen an impact from cuts to social care services which have typically supported older and more vulnerable patients before they need to seek emergency care.’

‘We do not consider this to be a growing problem’ 

Anna Parry, from the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives added: ‘We do not consider this issue to be a growing problem when you consider the ambulance service receives ten million calls each year, a figure that is growing by an average of 6 per cent annually.

‘Responding to all patients in a clinically appropriate timeframe and making the best use of its resources is something the NHS ambulance service continues to work hard to achieve.’ 

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