Ambulances 'parked for hours waiting' outside hospital
Concerns have been raised about 22 ambulances parked outside a Devon hospital - with some waiting for eight hours.
Last updated 7th Feb 2022
Devon's NHS bosses say parts of the system remain under 'severe pressure' after we've been sent a picture showing 22 ambulances queueing outside Plymouth's Derriford Hospital - just weeks after we reported on more than 20 outside Torbay.
The person who took it believed some ambulances had been waiting for eight hours while NHS bosses say the situation with ambulance waiting times is 'constantly changing' and 'some ambulances parked at the trust do not have patients in them'.
The latest figures, to January 31st, show the trust which runs Plymouth had 160 patients waiting for discharge into onward care and 294 covid-related staff absences.
A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust responded by saying: “Because health and social care across the region are under severe pressure at the moment, there is a significant impact on the length of time it’s taking us to hand over patients into busy hospitals.
"It’s an absolute priority for us and for our NHS partners to reduce these delays, so crews can get back out on the road for other patients.
"Our people are working incredibly hard day and night to enable us to be there for our patients, while prioritising those who are most seriously injured and ill.”
Derriford is a major trauma centre providing specialist services for the southwest peninsula.
Bosses at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, which runs it, say they receive 'some of the most acutely unwell patients by road and air ambulance and the Emergency Department is experiencing exceptional challenges - a pattern replicated across the country'.
They added: "We continue to ensure patients are prioritised in order of clinical need and are seen in the shortest timeframe possible.
"Patient safety remains our main focus and we would like to thank the staff for their tireless efforts in responding to the ongoing pressures and their commitment to working for our patients to provide the best possible care.
"We are working really hard to reduce waits and we have taken a number of steps. We have recruited 28 more nurses and have a nursing development programme in place within Emergency Services.
"Across our trust we are investing more than £5m in recruiting more nurses and £4.7m in pharmacy staff to further improve the quality of our clinical pharmacy service.
"We have plans to develop a new Urgent and Emergency Care Centre which will provide more space in which to care, as explained in this video.
"We are moving forward with our Digital Strategy and we’re working closer than ever with GPs and colleagues in the community to join up care for patients and their families.
"We are continuing to work hard with all our local partners to reduce waiting times and we continue to promote the use of NHS 111 so that, where appropriate, patients care access the right service for them as quickly as possible.
"Our waiting times are an ever-changing picture, fluctuating rapidly based on the demand on our services.
"We show our waiting times for the Emergency Department on our website, alongside the average waiting times for local Minor Injuries Units and we encourage the public to make use of this function alongside using NHS 111 to help inform them of the right choices to make for their care."