Wales ambulance: Wait outside A&E averages nearly two hours


New statistics show that ambulance wait times outside Welsh hospitals have increased in the past year. The Welsh Ambulance Trust noted that last year 23,334 ambulances waited for at least four hours to hand over patients outside A&E. Additionally, nearly 73,000 ambulances had to wait for at least an hour, representing an increase of 18% from 2023 and the highest recorded number of wait times in Welsh history. The Welsh health service explained these long waits as a result of sustained “demand and pressures” crushing Welsh nationwide healthcare.

During December 2024, there were over 6,500 ambulances that had to wait at least an hour outside an A&E. This figure comes second to the highest recorded figure. During this time, the ambulance service declared a “critical incident,” during which over half of its vehicles were waiting for A&E patients. The trust’s CEO explained that this impedes upon the service’s ability to respond to calls about 999 incidents. Medical professionals are forced to wait in ambulances with patients since space is limited at critical health facilities.

The average wait time for an ambulance to leave a hospital in December was two hours. The average wait time at the Swansea Bay health board was over three hours and nine minutes. This happened to be the highest wait time average in Wales for 2024. Conversely, the University Hospital of Wales (located at Cardiff and Vale health board) had an average wait time of less than an hour. As Morriston Hospital is situated inside the Swansea Bay health board, it said that it was “disappointed” by the new statistics. Nevertheless, the trust confirmed that patients still wait too long for ambulance services and apologised for any inconvenience this may have caused. 

The medical industry is currently working with NHS leaders to provide adequate services, as the rapid influx of patients, especially with the COVID pandemic and its various strains, is overwhelming to the NHS. According to the Welsh NHS Confederation representative, increasing ambulance wait times is just the most visible face of the pressure that grinds down the medical system. The ambulance service and administrations are trying to ease these problems using new methods, including the use of the skills of ambulance workers in non-emergency situations. 

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