Yorkshire Ambulance Service confirms it is under 'extreme pressure' and on the highest level of alert

A combination of Covid absences among staff, difficulty caused by the hot weather and ongoing delays in handing over patients to A&E has left ambulance trusts struggling to cope.

All 10 ambulance services confirmed today they are on the highest level of alert.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service confirmed it is at REAP 4, which means the trust is under ‘extreme pressure’.

Martin Flaherty, managing director of the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, said: "The NHS ambulance sector is under intense pressure, with all ambulance services operating at the highest level of four within their local resource escalation action plans, normally only ever reserved for major incidents or short-term periods of unusual demand.

"Severe delays in ambulance crews being able to hand over their patients at many hospital emergency departments are having a very significant impact on the ambulance sector's ability to respond to patients as quickly as we would like to, because our crews and vehicles are stuck outside those hospitals.

"Added to this, we have a number of staff absences due to a rise in Covid cases as well as additional pressure caused by the current hot weather, which is making things even tougher for our staff and of course the patients they are caring for."

He urged people not to call 999 back to ask about an estimated arrival time unless the patient's condition has changed.

A spokesperson for NHS England said: "Near record levels of 999 calls, challenges discharging patients to social care settings, increasing Covid cases - leading to more than 20,000 staff absences - and the current heatwave is inevitably having an impact on NHS capacity.

"It, however, remains vital that the public continue to dial 999 in an emergency and use 111 online, or their local pharmacy for other health issues and advice."

Shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, said: "12 years of Conservative mismanagement has left our ambulance service in crisis.

"Patients are left for far longer than is safe and lives are being lost as a result."