Lib Dems demand action to fix ambulance crisis as figures reveal worsening waiting times

Nearly a third of local patients waited longer than 4 hours in A&E before being seen in February, new analysis of NHS England figures by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

Even more shockingly 628 patients waited over 12 hours, or 8.8% of the total.

The figures also show that people in the East Midlands. area waited an average of 48 minutes for serious incidents in February. Scandalously, one in 10 people waited over an hour and 40 minutes for an ambulance to arrive.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for a clear plan to support local ambulance services, including emergency funding to reverse the closure of community ambulance stations and cancel planned closures where needed. The party is also calling for localised figures on ambulance waiting times to be published to help local communities hold the government to account. The proposals were backed at the Liberal Democrat Spring Conference this weekend.

Nationally, the data shows that 7,672 ambulance arrivals in the latest week were delayed by more than an hour before handing over their patients due to pressures in A&E. That's almost one in 10 ambulance arrivals.

Leader of Leicestershire Liberal Democrats Councillor Michael Mullaney said:

"These shocking figures show too many people are being left stranded waiting for an ambulance to arrive, waiting in pain and distress for the medical care they need.

"Ambulance services in Leicester and Leicestershire are being stretched to breaking point. People are being let down by a Conservative Government that is sitting on its hands whilst lives are put at risk due to their incompetence.

"After years of driving the NHS into the ground, the Conservatives need to act to fix this crisis.

"The Liberal Democrats have set out a clear and credible plan to support our A&Es, ambulance services and the chronic staffing shortages that are leaving patients at risk."