A PATIENT was left waiting two and a half days for an ambulance as the NHS came under huge strain over the winter.
Response times came under fire from Labour after the patient from the North West was made to wait thirty-two times longer than they should.
GettyNHS response times have been called into question after a patient waited two and a half days for an ambulance[/caption]
Official figures also revealed patients in the East Midlands were waiting 51 hours in December last year, a Freedom of Information request found.
The NHS says such patients, known as category 3, who are in the late stages of labour or have abdominal pains, should wait no longer than two hours.
One patient was forced to wait 40 hours in the back of an ambulance outside a hospital in the South West.
There were more than 150,000 patients who waited more than sixty minutes outside hospitals.
Sir Julian Hartley, boss of NHS Providers said: “These figures are further evidence, were it needed, that last winter was one of toughest on record for the NHS.
“Trust leaders will be very concerned by these wait times as ensuring timely, high-quality care for patients is their top priority.”
Wes Streeting MP, Shadow Health and Social Care Secretary, said: “Patients can no longer trust that an ambulance will reach them in an emergency.
“Stroke and heart attack victims are left waiting for hours, when every second counts. This is the terrifying reality after 13 years of Conservative understaffing of our NHS.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson last night said: “No one should have to wait longer than necessary to access urgent and emergency care and we are working hard to improve ambulance waiting times, which have substantially reduced from the peak of winter pressures in December 2022.
“Our Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery Plan will allow people to be seen quicker by scaling up community teams, expanding virtual wards, and getting 800 new ambulances on the road. This is on top of £750 million we have provided this winter to speed up hospital discharge and free up beds.”