16,900 people in a week kept in NHS ambulances waiting for hospital care

The highest number of people this winter were forced to wait in back of ambulance during Christmas week in England

Record numbers of patients were forced to wait in the back of ambulances last week as hospitals in England struggled to cope with demand for medical treatment as the NHS’s winter crisis began in earnest.

In all 16,900 people – the highest number this winter – were stuck in the back of an ambulance waiting to enter an A&E unit to be assessed and treated in the week from Christmas Day to New Year’s Eve.

Related: 'My mum was treated with dignity': NHS care amid the winter crisis

We will be monitoring the situation in hospitals over the next few months and want to hear your experiences of the NHS this winter. We are keen to hear from healthcare professionals as well as patients about the situation. Have operations been cancelled? Has pressure led to certain wards being closed? How are staff coping? Help us document what is going on across the UK.

Continue reading... January 04, 2018 at 04:10PM