AMBULANCE resources have become so stretched that fire engines have been forced to take some patients to hospital.

North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) admitted there have been several such cases across the region in the last two months, as the number of serious 999 cases has spiked by nearly 15 per cent.

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The latest figures show the trust had to deal with 34,046 ‘red’ calls in June, compared to just 30,118 in June last year, an increase of nearly 4,000 incidents.

The extra pressure has forced crews to focus their attentions on patients with the most serious problems, leaving those with less severe complaints to wait longer.

And chief executive Bob Williams admitted that on several occasions over the summer, patients waited so long they ended up being taken to hospital by firefighters or police instead.

He said these incidents “cause us, I can assure you, more consternation and frustration than the individuals concerned, because we take it very personally that we haven’t been able to get an ambulance to jobs in the required time frame”.

Two of the cases were reported in the Preston area, but the trust said it was not aware of any in East Lancashire.

Meanwhile, the data for June showed just 69 per cent of ‘red 1’ calls, which include cardiac arrest cases, were responded to within eight minutes, against a target of 75 per cent.

Mr Williams added in a recent report to board members: “The core problem is one of absolute capacity. The additional 999 call volume itself is creating unprecedented demand pressures in the call centres which even with the increased recruitment and training that is ongoing are struggling to meet demand at times.

“The increase in high priority incidents is stretching the available ambulance resource to a point where at certain times patients who are less critical are getting an attendance that is much longer than they expect.”

A number of ‘immediate actions’ have been put in place, including the deployment of additional resources and freeing up staff by deferring some training sessions. Bosses have also looked to increase the use of the ‘see and treat’ and ‘hear and treat’ initiatives, where patients with minor problems are given telephone advice, or advice on the scene, and referred to primary care services where appropriate.