Welsh ambulance service declares 'critical emergency' as patients left waiting for hours
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A UK ambulance service has declared a 'critical incident' after significantly increased demand across the 999 service saw over half of ambulances stuck outside A&E and patients left waiting hours for help. Bosses at the Welsh Ambulance Service confirmed the special measure last night amid a surge in demand, with more than 340 calls waiting to be answered at the time the critical incident was declared. More than half of the trust's ambulance vehicles were waiting to handover patients outside hospitals, the ambulance service said.
Delays in answering calls have also left some patients several hours for an ambulance. The service has now vowed to protect their "precious resources for those who need them the most", saying it has taken additional measures to ensure it can continue to serve the public and alleviate pressure on the service.
North Wales Live reports that Stephen Sheldon, head of the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: "It is very rare that we declare a critical incident, but with significant demand on our service and more than 90 ambulances waiting to handover patients outside of hospital, our ability to help patients has been impacted.
"Regrettably, this means that some patients will wait longer for an ambulance to arrive and for their calls to be answered. For that, we are very sorry because this is not the level of service we want to provide." We understand that this is frustrating for patients, but can assure them that we are doing everything we can to relieve the pressure on our service.
