Ambulance and A&E delays spark action call

A record number of people had to wait more than 12 hours in A&E departments in April although ambulance response times improved slightly, according to new figures.

NHS England figures showed that 24,138 people had to wait more than 12 hours in emergency departments in England last month – up from 22,506 in March, and is the highest for any calendar month since August 2010.

But the number waiting at least four hours from the decision to admit to admission fell to 131,905 from an all-time high of 136,298 in March.

The figures show 72.3% of patients were seen within four hours at A&Es – up from a record low of 71.6% in March but below the operational standard that at least 95%.

The average response time in April for ambulances dealing with the most urgent incidents – calls from people with life-threatening illnesses or injuries – was nine minutes and two seconds.

This is down from the nine minutes and 35 seconds in March.

The data shows ambulances took an average of 51 minutes and 22 seconds to respond to emergency calls such as burns, epilepsy and strokes last month, down from one hour, one minute and three seconds in March.

Siva Anandaciva, chief analyst at The King's Fund health think tank, said: "Long waits for emergency care, previously only seen in the depths of winter, are now commonplace and ambulance service response times are still falling far below the national standards. Until ministers grasp the nettle on health and care staffing shortages, it will be patients who continue to pay the price.”