Paramedics across England are watching patients die in the back of ambulances because of delays outside emergency departments, according to a survey by Unison.
The gridlock of patients in some of the country’s hospitals has led to queues of up to 20 ambulances outside casualty departments in certain areas. In a number of cases, crews have been forced to wait more than 12 hours before handing over patients.
The survey of nearly 600 ambulance workers reveals the toll of the waits on patients and the crews looking after them. Unison warns that “car park care” is increasingly becoming the norm, with hospital medical staff tending to patients in the back of ambulances.
More than three-quarters (77%) of paramedics and emergency medical technicians said they have had to look after people in the back of ambulances in the past year while stuck outside emergency departments. Two-thirds (68%) have waited in hospital corridors, or in other locations, with one paramedic often caring for several patients to allow colleagues to respond to other calls.
More than two-thirds also reported patients’ health deteriorating during long waits, and one in 20 (5%) said people have died in their care because of long delays in being admitted.
The target for ambulance crews to hand over patients to emergency departments is 15 minutes, with no handover meant to take longer than half an hour.
The survey of 588 staff in February and March shows about one in seven respondents (16%) have waited outside emergency departments for 12 hours or more. At least half (53%) have experienced delays of longer than six hours.
Gavin Taylor, 58, a Unison representative and ambulance worker in the north-west of England, said it was now a regular occurrence to be waiting several hours to hand over a patient. He said: “It’s heartbreaking because we are here as a caring profession and the delays have an impact on the care and wellbeing of patients.”
The survey findings are released as health workers assemble in Liverpool for the union’s annual health conference, which starts on Monday.
One respondent to the survey said: “Hearing the broadcast from dispatch, pleading for anyone to respond to a category 1 call [those classified as life-threatening and needing immediate intervention] and knowing none of us queueing at the hospital can assist due to handover delays, is both heartbreaking and demoralising.” Another said: “Spending a full 12-hour shift queueing outside hospital is soul destroying.”
In total, ambulances spent more than 1.5m hours – equivalent to 62,500 days – stuck outside A&Es waiting to offload patients in the year to November 2024, a Guardian investigation found in January.
In the past year, 414,137 patients are believed to have experienced some level of harm because they spent so long in the back of ambulances waiting to get into hospital. Of those, 44,409 – more than 850 a week – suffered “severe potential harm”, with delays causing permanent or long-term harm or death.
Unison’s general secretary, Christina McAnea, said: “Ambulance workers want the best for their patients. That means reaching them quickly, delivering immediate care and taking them to [A&E] for further treatment where necessary.
“But this is no longer the reality. Sadly, ‘car park care’ is increasingly becoming the norm. Ambulances and hospital corridors have become makeshift treatment rooms, forcing staff to care for patients for hours on end.
“The pressure on the NHS is unsustainable. Immediate action is crucial to address growing demand and ensure patients receive the timely care they need and deserve.”
An NHS spokesperson said: “The NHS continues to face significant pressures across A&E, ambulance services and hospital wards, and we recognise the impact this has on patients and staff – we are working closely with the government and local NHS services to improve patient outcomes and support frontline teams.
“This year’s planning guidance asks local NHS systems to work jointly across ambulance services, hospital and community settings to ensure no handover exceeds 45 minutes, reflecting our commitment to improving flow and reducing delays across the country.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We inherited a broken NHS, with people waiting far too long for urgent treatment. Long ambulance handover delays are completely unacceptable, which is why we are fundamentally reforming the health service through our plan for change.
“This includes shifting services from the hospital to the community to ensure patients can access the right treatment closer to home, on top of recruiting an extra 1,000 GPs to reach patients earlier. This will free up our under-pressure ambulance services and A&E departments and help reduce waiting times for those in genuine need of urgent care.”
READ SOURCE
