Ambulances waited a total of around 15 years for patients to be admitted to hospital in the first two weeks of winter – an increase from 10.5 years last year.
So-called ‘transfer delays’ are counted after fifteen minutes have passed before patients are admitted to hospital.
The figures for England have also seen a drastic increase in the number of delays of at least one hour. In the winter of 2023/24 this was 16,423.
This winter there are already 29,477, an increase of 79 percent. It means transfer delays of an hour or more now account for 16 percent of all transfers, up from 9 percent last winter.
The average average time for delay in transfers has also increased significantly over the past two weeks from 32 minutes to 44 minutes, an increase of 37 percent.
In total, there have been 130,990 hours of transfer delays in the past two weeks, the equivalent of 15 years.
This is an increase from the 91,645 hours in winter 2023/24, a peak of 43 percent.
Ambulances spent a total of around 15 years waiting for patients to be admitted to hospital in the first two weeks of winter – up from 10.5 years last year (file image)
Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan said: ‘This winter promises to be one of the most challenging ever’
NHS England has said that transfer delays pose a risk to patients and are also endangering care in the community by preventing ambulances from leaving hospital.
The Liberal Democrats, who have analyzed the official statistics, are calling on the Government to ensure this is the last winter crisis facing patients and the health service.
The party is calling for a £1.5 billion earmarked fund to ‘winterproof’ the NHS – to build resilience in hospital wards, A&E departments, ambulance services and patient discharges.
Health and social care spokesperson Helen Morgan MP said: “This winter promises to be one of the most challenging ever.
NHS England has said that delays in transmission pose a risk to patients and are also jeopardizing care in the community (stock image)
‘We’re not even in the middle of winter yet, but we’re already seeing worrying trends that this year could be even worse than last year, and we all know how tough that was.
‘We cannot allow this situation to develop further. Failure to get ahead of this crisis could result in hospitals becoming overwhelmed and patients suffering the consequences.
“The government must come up with a plan to take measures to address this alarming situation.
‘They also need to draw up plans to winter-proof the NHS, so this is the last winter crisis the health service and patients will ever face.’
Medics have said they are facing a ‘quad-demic’ – with hospital flu cases four times higher than last year and high levels of Covid, norovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), according to The times.
An NHS spokesperson said: ‘Winter is always the toughest time of year for the NHS, and this year comes after the busiest November ever for A&E staff and with more ambulance contacts than any other November.
‘Priority for transfer to A&E teams is always given to the sickest patients.
‘The tidal wave of flu cases and other seasonal viruses hitting hospitals is really worrying for patients and for the NHS – the latest figures add to our ‘quad-demic’ concerns.’