Student paramedics spending hours in ambulances outside A&E instead of attending calls

Exclusive: One trainee waited for nine hours outside a hospital in an ambulance to hand over a patient

The Association of Ambulance Chief Executives said handover delays were a further ‘unintended consequence of the current system pressures’ (EPA)

Student paramedics are missing out on learning how to save lives because they are wasting hours in ambulances outside A&E instead of attending calls, it has been revealed.

The College of Paramedics and ambulance directors say the hold-ups mean trainees are missing vital on-the-job experience, leading to fears over the safety of patients.

As a result, the 2,500 to 3,000 paramedics who qualify each September, joining a workforce of more than 30,000 across the UK, risk being sent out without the level of experience of graduates from previous years.