Dozens of ambulance crews in London are unable to work each day due a vehicle shortage and are instead sitting around as calls for desperate Brits go ‘unanswered’.
The issue at London Ambulance Service Trust has reportedly been going on for months but has worsened markedly since September.
It has led to ambulance crews being forced to simply sit at bases for hours while ‘having a cup of tea’ as they can frustratingly do nothing to help Brits in distress.
A trust spokesperson told MailOnline the problem was caused by ‘supply chain issues’ with new vehicles.
London Ambulance Service Trust had recently recruited 900 new frontline staff at the same time as it sought to modernise its fleet.
Dozens of ambulance crews in London are reportedly being forced to sit around unable to work due to a lack of available vehicles (stock image)
‘In recent weeks, this has meant that some of our workforce have been delayed in getting out on the road at the start of their shift.
‘However, it is important to note that – despite those manufacturing delays – the number of staff hours on the road in emergency vehicles and caring for patients has increased by 10 per cent compared to last winter.’
The Health Service Journal reported that the issue was causing frustration among staff.
‘Crews don’t mind sitting around for half an hour and having a cup of tea. But longer than that and they get frustrated – especially if they know there are unanswered calls,’ a source told the website.
MailOnline understands that up to 50 London ambulance crews on some of the worst days were unable to get on the road due to the shortage.
However, with two new vehicles arriving each day, the issue is expected to be resolved before Christmas.
A Trust spokesperson added: ‘We have already taken delivery of many new vehicles, with 40 more due before Christmas.
‘However, supply chain issues and manufacturing delays (compounded in part by the collapse of one of our manufacturers) has delayed the rollout of some of these vehicles.’
The trust added that it disputed the anonymous source claiming calls were going unanswered.
London Ambulance Service Trust’s problems comes as emergency response times in England continue to lag behind targets.
In October, the latest data available, the average category one call response time – for people with the most life-threatening illnesses or injuries – was 8 minutes and 40 seconds. The target time is seven minutes.
For category two calls, emergencies that include treating people with burns, epilepsy and strokes, the average response time was 41 minutes and 40 seconds.
This is more than double the health service’s usual 18-minute target for such emergencies, though this has been extended to 30 minutes this year as part of the health service’s recovery plan.
Responding to the story an NHS England spokesperson said the health service was planning for more ambulances to be on the road this winter.
‘The NHS has increased the number of ambulances in use with plans to put even more on the road over winter, and as ever we will work with ambulance services and suppliers to put mitigations in place, where necessary,’ they said.
The Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, a body that coordinates work across ambulance services in England, said it was unaware of any other trusts in the country facing the same issues as London Ambulance Service Trust.