Private ambulances sent to 999 emergencies

Major ambulance trusts are increasingly relying on private ambulances to attend 999 calls, an investigation has found.

Research by PA Media showed England’s ambulance trusts had spent more than £92million in the last year on private ambulances and taxis to transport patients.

Some trusts relied on private ambulances due to a chronic shortage of NHS staff and ongoing problems with recruitment, while in some parts of the South, almost one in five emergency calls resulted in a private ambulance being sent to the scene.