Ambulance crews waste 500,000 hours a year outside A&E due to hospital backlog
The pile up at NHS hospitals means fewer ambulances are able to respond to emergency 999 calls
AMBULANCE crews waste more than 500,000 hours a year sat outside A&E because doctors and wards are too busy to take in their patients.
Medics are supposed to complete the handover within 15 minutes.
But figures show the time spent waiting beyond this has risen by 52 per cent in two years.
It means there are fewer ambulances available for 999 calls and equates to losing 286 crews a year. Senior paramedics said it was not uncommon to run out of ambulances at peak times.
The Department of Health said: “NHS England is working closely with ambulance services to improve response times.”
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