NHS is ‘forcing patients into an Uber-ambulance crisis’ as soaring numbers make their own way to A&E

EMERGENCY patients are being forced into an “ambulance by Uber” crisis as soaring numbers arrive to A&E under their own steam, warn MPs.

NHS figures suggest the number of “very urgent” cases getting a lift or taxi to casualty has risen 39 per cent since 2019.

PA

Full hospitals and high demand slow down ambulance response times, with last year seeing the worst delays on record (stock image)[/caption]

Data from about a third of hospitals show the total “Code 2” emergency patients who arrived not in an ambulance rose from 363,000 to 504,000 in 2023.

The true number is likely higher.

More people are making their own way to A&E rather than risking agonising ambulance waits

Daisy CooperLiberal Democrat MP

It comes after the 2022-23 winter saw the worst ambulance delays on record, with stroke and heart attack patients regularly waiting longer than an hour for help.

Liberal Democrat MP Daisy Cooper, whose party carried out the research, said: “This government has created an ‘Uber-ambulance’ crisis.

“With ambulance response times soaring, more people in need of urgent care are making their own way to A&E rather than risking agonising waits.

“We urgently need investment in our emergency services and more beds in our hospitals, so that patients in urgent need know that an ambulance will arrive in time.”

The NHS says demand for urgent help is greater than ever with an all-time record of 2.35million visits to A&E departments in March.

A Department of Health spokesperson said: “There are 50 per cent more ambulance staff than in 2010 and average waits for Category 2 ‘emergency’ incidents are more than 13 minutes faster in 2023/24 than the previous year, while the average 999 call is answered within five seconds.”