The boss of the NHS has written a letter to trusts urging hospitals to take ‘immediate steps’ to reduce ambulance waiting times outside A&E departments to under 30 minutes amid warnings of ‘high risk to patients’ as the weather intensifies. But it’s sparked a heated reaction from paramedics and clinicians desperate to give patients in Greater Manchester the care they need.
It comes amid ongoing reports in the region that the number of 999 callers waiting hours for an ambulance is hitting ‘New Year’s Eve’ levels on a daily basis, while crews are dealing with 21 per cent more urgent and life-threatening calls compared to last month. Patients are also enduring long waits in ambulances outside A&E departments and, as the mercury continues to rise, so does the risk to patients.
Meanwile, it's been reported that nearly 200,000 patients nationwide have come to harm this year because of ambulance delays.
