Around 11 000 ambulances are waiting more than an hour at A&E every week, analysis finds

The number of patients having to wait in ambulances outside hospitals in England for more than an hour to be admitted has risen to around 11 000 a week, the highest since records began in 2010, it has been revealed, prompting fears that this is contributing to excess deaths.

An analysis of NHS England data carried out by BBC News found that by late November thousands of ambulances were waiting this long every week—equivalent to about one in seven of all arrivals—because of overcrowding inside hospitals. This was despite the expectation that handover should take around 15 minutes.

The news came as it was confirmed on 30 November that more than 10 000 ambulance workers have voted to strike across 10 ambulance services in England and Wales, with potential strike dates before Christmas. The action by the GMB and …