Paramedics ‘sitting around with cups of tea’ while 999 calls go unanswered in London due to lack of ambulances

Dozens of ambulance crews in London are unable to work every day due to a shortage of vehicles and are instead left sitting as calls for desperate Britons go unanswered.

The problem at the London Ambulance Service Trust has reportedly been going on for months, but has worsened significantly since September.

It has led to ambulance crews being forced to sit at bases for hours while ‘having a cup of tea’ as, frustratingly, they could do nothing to help Britons in need.

A trust spokesperson told MailOnline that the problem was caused by ‘supply chain issues’ with new vehicles.

London Ambulance Service Trust had recently recruited 900 new frontline staff as it looked to modernize its fleet.

‘In recent weeks this has resulted in some of our staff being delayed in starting their shifts.

‘It is important to note, however, that – despite these production delays – the number of hours staff spend on the road in emergency vehicles and caring for patients has increased by 10 percent compared to last winter.’

The Health Service Journal reported that the issue caused frustration among staff.

‘Crews have no problem sitting around for half an hour and drinking a cup of tea. But longer than that, they get frustrated, especially when they know there are unanswered calls,” a source told the website.

MailOnline understands that up to 50 London ambulance crews were unable to hit the road on some of the worst days due to the shortage.

However, with two new vehicles arriving every day, the problem is expected to be resolved before Christmas.

A Trust spokesperson added: ‘We have already taken delivery of many new vehicles, with a further 40 due to arrive before Christmas.

‘However, supply chain issues and production delays (partly exacerbated by the collapse of one of our manufacturers) have delayed the rollout of some of these vehicles.’

The London Ambulance Service Trust’s problems come as emergency response times in England are falling short of targets.

According to the latest available data, the average response time to Category 1 calls – for people with the most life-threatening illnesses or injuries – was 8 minutes and 40 seconds in October. The target time is seven minutes.

For category two calls, emergencies including treating people with burns, epilepsy and strokes, the average response time was 41 minutes and 40 seconds.

This is more than double the healthcare sector’s 18-minute target.

Responding to the story, a spokesperson for NHS England said the health service planned to put more ambulances on the road this winter.

“The NHS has increased the number of ambulances in use with plans to put even more ambulances on the road this winter, and as always we will work with ambulance services and suppliers to take action where necessary,” they said.

The Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, a body that co-ordinates the work of ambulance services in England, said it was not aware of any other trusts in the country facing the same problems as the London Ambulance Service Trust.