Paramedics across the UK are being forced to watch patients deteriorate, and in some cases die, because they can’t hand them over to A&E departments quickly enough, according to UNISON research published today (Sunday).
The survey findings are released as health workers assemble in Liverpool for the union’s annual health conference, which begins tomorrow.
UNISON’s figures gathered from nearly 600 ambulance staff paint a grim picture of how long periods stuck in the back of ambulances – often in excess of 12 hours – are affecting patients with conditions ranging from chest pain to severe breathing issues.
More than two thirds (68%) of ambulance workers report patients’ health deteriorating during long waits and one in twenty (5%) say people have died in their care because of long delays in being admitted to hospital wards.
The UK-wide target for ambulance crews to hand over patients to A&E departments is 15 minutes, with none meant to take longer than half an hour.
However, the data shows around one in seven respondents (16%) have waited outside emergency departments for 12 hours or more. And more than half (53%) have experienced delays of six hours-plus.
The ongoing waits are severely compromising the quality of care, placing vulnerable patients in unsafe and undignified situations, and putting lives at risk, says UNISON.
Overall, more than three-quarters (77%) of paramedics and emergency medical technicians say they’ve had to look after people in the back of ambulances when stuck outside A&E departments in the past year.
Nearly half (47%) report spending “almost every shift” giving ‘car park care’, while they wait to hand patients over to hospitals.
Two thirds (68%) have waited in hospital corridors, or in other locations where one paramedic cares for several patients*, for example in doorways or even outside.
More than three-quarters (77%) report that hospital staff have had to use ambulances as makeshift treatment rooms to assess patients or administer care.
And six in ten (62%) say they’ve had to take people for X-rays, scans or other tests, only for patients to then return to the vehicle afterwards because they still can’t be admitted.
Nearly two thirds (65%) of ambulance workers report that patient dignity and privacy are being compromised when people are being cared for in the backs of ambulances for upwards of 30 minutes.
More than four in five staff (83%) say patient care and safety are compromised, highlighting the severe effect of delays on both the quality of care and the wellbeing of those awaiting treatment or surgery, says the union.
Excessive waits and delays are also affecting ambulance workers, says UNISON. Three in five (60%) report a significant impact on their mental health, with almost two in five (39%) saying the pressures are making them seriously consider leaving the profession altogether.
Ambulance workers are constantly working under extreme pressures, says the union, with 93% of respondents regularly reporting late finishes and shift overruns, and 83% frequently missing breaks due to delays.
Nearly two thirds (65%) say they’re unable to eat or drink, and three in ten (31%) say they’ve had no access to a toilet during a shift.
Others say they struggle to deal with the mental strain of being stuck in their vehicles for hour upon hour. This includes hearing urgent calls over the radio for life-threatening situations they’re unable to attend.
UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “Ambulance workers want the best for their patients. That means reaching them quickly, delivering immediate care and taking them to A&E for further treatment where necessary.
“But this is no longer the reality. Sadly, ‘care park care’ is increasingly becoming the norm. Ambulances and hospital corridors have become makeshift treatment rooms, forcing staff to care for patients for hours on end.
“The pressure on the NHS is unsustainable. Immediate action is crucial to address growing demand and ensure patients receive the timely care they need and deserve.”
UNISON says a raft of measures is needed to tackle the issues. These should include boosting staffing across ambulance, hospital and community services; making GP appointments more readily available; and improving social care capacity in communities.
If this were to happen, says UNISON, ambulance callouts could be reduced, hospitals could discharge elderly patients back into the community, freeing up beds on wards and emergency departments would be able to admit people more quickly.
Notes to editors:
– UNISON polled 588 road ambulance staff between 26 February and 14 March 2025 on their experiences of A&E waiting times. The findings are part of a wider survey of health workers.
–*This is known as cohorting, where one member of staff looks after several patients at hospital before they’re admitted to allow crews to get back out on the road.
– Experiences of ambulance workers responding to the survey include:
- “The thought of starting my shift looking after multiple patients in a hospital corridor fills me with dread. This is the time I feel the most negative about my job. It’s not a good start to any shift.”
- “It is mentally draining having to care for patients who are suffering when we’ve exhausted all pain-relief options. Watching patients deteriorate is very depressing. Late finishes are having a massive impact on my life and I’m thinking about leaving my job.”
- “I find it hard when control centre colleagues are calling for assistance for high- category patients in the community and we’re stuck at hospital, unable to leave and potentially save another life.”
- “It’s extremely frustrating and impractical for patient care. It’s massively disheartening to think you might spend your entire shift stuck at a hospital emergency department. Often, we might only attend two calls per 12-hour shift.”
- “Spending a full 12-hour shift queuing outside hospital is soul destroying. It’s tiring, it’s repetitive and it’s awful for patients.”
- “We spend a lot of time in corridors waiting for patients to be seen and referred to the appropriate departments, when we should be out on the road attending to other patients. There’s a lot of emphasis on using community services, such as GPs, district nurses and social care teams. However, these are often unavailable, leaving the patient with no option but hospital, even though that can mean sometimes waiting 24 hours or more to be seen.”
- “Hearing the radio broadcast from HQ dispatch, pleading for anyone to respond to a category-one call and knowing none of us queuing at the hospital can assist due to handover delays, is both heart-breaking and demoralising.”
- “Older patients are developing pressure sores due to the lack of proper skin assessments and extended periods spent on stretchers, which were never designed for such prolonged use.”
– UNISON’s annual health conference takes place from Monday 7 to Wednesday 9 April at the ACC Liverpool, Kings Dock Street L3 4FP. Health workers from across the UK will be in attendance to debate a variety of motions including NHS pay, a greener NHS, bank staff, support for migrant workers, mental health, sexual safety, problems with NHS salary scales, and safe staffing. UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea will address the conference on Tuesday afternoon.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.
Media contacts:
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk
The article Patients dying in ambulances stuck outside A&E because of long waits first appeared on the UNISON National site.
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