Revealed: hidden toll of ambulance delays at A&E puts lives at risk

Revealed: hidden toll of ambulance delays at A&E puts lives at risk Exclusive: NHS data shows problem of holdups three times worse than officially portrayed

Thousands of ambulances are being prevented from responding to life-threatening 999 calls every day because they are tied up at A&E units, in a significant continuing breach of NHS patient safety rules.

The Guardian can reveal that almost 600,000 ambulances faced delays of more than 15 minutes in their crews handing a patient over to hospital A&E staff in the past three months – something NHS rules say should never happen.

A combination of factors are at play. Hospitals have fewer beds than last year, so they are less able to deal with the recent, ongoing surge in illness. Last week, for example, the bed occupancy rate at 17 of England’s 153 acute hospital trusts was 98% or more, with the fullest – Walsall healthcare trust – 99.9% occupied. Continue reading...