The NHS is under “huge pressure” in England as new figures show an increase in waiting lists, being at an all-time high and ambulance response times being significantly worse.
In June, it took on average 51 minutes and 38 seconds to respond to emergency calls, including heart attacks and strokes.
May saw an average of 39 minutes and 58 seconds, which is far from the target of 18 minutes.
Once at A&E, 22,034 patients then had to wait more than 12 hours to be admitted into the hospital.
A Royal College of Nursing survey found that 63% of staff reported that emergency care was taking place in hospital corridors and waiting rooms, rather than on wards.
Meanwhile, waiting lists for routine hospital treatments have risen to a new record high of 6.6 million, at the end of May - an increase of one million from the previous month.
With the country now experiencing a heatwave, it has increased the pressure on hospitals and ambulance services. More than 13,000 people are currently in hospital with Covid and on one day in July, almost 27,000 NHS staff were absent with the virus.
Latest NHS waiting times:
- Ambulances are taking an average of nine minutes and six seconds for most serious calls - the national target is seven minutes
- Average ambulance wait times are at 51 minutes and 38 seconds for emergency calls such as heart attacks and strokes - 33 minutes longer than the 18-minute target
- 22,034 A&E patients had to wait more than 12 hours in June - up from 19,053 in May
- 130,109 A&E patients waiting at least four hours in June, up from 122,768 in May
- 331,623 people waiting more than a year to begin hospital treatment
- More than 400,000 people waiting longer than six weeks for key diagnostic tests
