Video footage of 24 ambulances parked outside Derriford Hospital
Paramedics have raised concerns about the long waiting times outside A&E
Last updated 26th Aug 2022
We have been sent a video of 24 ambulances parked outside Derriford hospital in Plymouth earlier this week, highlighting delays in the emergency healthcare system.
The healthcare worker who sent the video says on Monday afternoon, patients were being diverted to other hospitals in Torbay and Exeter and some paramedics were leaving Derriford to try and get patients seen at other sites.
In response the hospital trust has apologised and says it is working hard to improve patient flows, while the ambulance trust said it is working closely with NHS partners.
Recently Plymouth City Councillor Jemima Laing's 82-year-old father waited six hours for an ambulance, resulting in her staging a debate about emergency care in the city.
Emergency Departments should normally accept patients who arrive by ambulance within 15 minutes. When this does not occur, it is known as a 'handover delay' and the patient's care remains with the ambulance service.
In May Derriford Hospital issued an apology to patients over long waiting times at A&E, after one waited 22 hours to be seen.
A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust said: "The whole health and social care system has been under sustained pressure for many months now, this means that some patients are having to wait longer for an ambulance than they would expect.
"Our performance has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, partly due to handover delays at emergency departments.
"We are working with our partners in the NHS and across social care to ensure our ambulance clinicians can get back out on the road as quickly as possible, to respond to other 999 calls and improve the service that patients receive".
A spokesperson for University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust said: "We recognise that patients are waiting in ambulances when they should be seen more quickly in the emergency department while we experience exceptional challenges in health and social care.
"This is not a situation we want for any of our patients and our dedicated staff are working extremely hard to make sure patients are seen in order of clinical need.
"We apologise to anyone who experiences a long wait and thank those who have been waiting for the kindness and understanding they are showing to our staff".
This is not the first time ambulances have been pictured waiting outside A&E, with dozens seen at one point back in February.
The trust says action is being taken to reduce waits, including 'maximising every space available by opening additional escalation beds on our wards. We move patients as quickly as we can from the Emergency Department to a ward'.
They added: "We are discharging those patients who are ready to leave hospital as quickly as we can, preferably early in the morning, as this frees up beds for patients arriving as emergencies to be admitted into. If you have a relative or loved one who is ready to leave hospital, you can help us by collecting them as soon as possible. This is greatly appreciated.
They concluded: "We are working with South Western Ambulance Service and have an experienced paramedic in our Emergency Department who helps us prioritise those patients waiting, based on clinical need. People can help by calling NHS 111 for urgent healthcare enquiries, using your local pharmacy and using 999 for emergencies".
There have been similar incidences across the Tamar in Cornwall, where a pensioner recently waited 15hrs for an ambulance outside the rain after a fall at his home.