Ambulance wait times endangering patients, doctors say

Doctors and paramedics have told the BBC that long waits for ambulances across the UK are having a “dangerous impact” on patient safety.

BBC analysis found a 77% rise in the most serious safety incidents logged by paramedics in England over the past year, compared to before the pandemic.

BBC research shows there were 551 serious safety reports filed by ambulance staff in England between March 2021 and February 2022, up from 312 in the same period before the pandemic.

Within that data, there were 201 unintended or unexpected deaths, up from 78 in 2019/20.
The data does depend on staff deciding to report problems, and not all serious incidents will be linked to long ambulance delays. The largest proportion though do relate to the ‘access, admission or transfer’ of patients. Source : BBC