Labour pledges more NHS staff after statistics show patient waited two-and-a-half days for ambulance

Labour have pledged to fund the training of more doctors and nurses after new figures showed that patients have been waiting up to two-and-a-half days for an ambulance response.

New statistics released by ambulance trusts showed the shocking state of ambulance waiting times, with one patient in the North West of England waiting more than 65 hours for the emergency care. The patient, who phoned for the ambulance in December 2022, was categorised as a 'category three' urgent case - which includes late stages of labour, burns or abdominal pain. NHS targets for this category state that ambulances should aim to arrive in two hours.

In addition to this, 'category two' patients - which includes those suffering heart attacks and strokes - waited 89 times longer than the target of 18 minutes. Waiting times outside hospitals have also skyrocketed - more than 153,000 people waited in the back of ambulances or more than an hour, with one patients waiting a staggering 40 hours in the South West.

It comes as the NHS remains heavily under pressure, with waiting lists and waiting times being criticised. The Labour Party has pledged to fund the NHS and its workforce to bring the health service back up to scratch.

Wes Streeting MP, Shadow Health and Social Care Secretary, said: “Patients can no longer trust that an ambulance will reach them in an emergency. Stroke and heart attack victims are left waiting for hours, when every second counts. This is the terrifying reality after 13 years of Conservative understaffing of our NHS.

 “Patients should be able to phone 999, safe in the knowledge that they will get an answer and an ambulance when they need it. The longer we give the Conservatives in office, the longer patients will wait.

 “Labour will launch the biggest expansion of the NHS workforce in history, training the staff needed to reach patients on time, paid for by abolishing the non-dom tax status. We will ensure the NHS is there for us when we need it once again.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “No one should have to wait longer than necessary to access urgent and emergency care and we are working hard to improve ambulance waiting times, which have substantially reduced from the peak of winter pressures in December 2022.

“Our Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery Plan will allow people to be seen quicker by scaling up community teams, expanding virtual wards, and getting 800 new ambulances on the road. This is on top of £750 million we have provided this winter to speed up hospital discharge and free up beds.”