Our correspondents join ambulance crews across the UK on 30 November 2016
Services are experiencing unprecedented pressure, with only one trust meeting targets
About 30,000 999 calls are made to ambulance control rooms every day
Services have to prioritise the most critical cases to cope
Ambulances are more stretched than ever as winter looms
Ben Robertson, from Nottingham, has been following the coverage today.
He said it prompted his to call East Midlands Ambulance Service to "thank them for everything they have done for me in the last 3 years."
He added: "I probably wouldn't be here without them."
This Dudley paramedic did a great job...
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Nick Triggle
Health Correspondent
The 500,000 hours lost queuing at hospitals by ambulances – identified by the BBC in its coverage today – sounds a lot.
That’s because it is.
If these delays were completely eradicated ambulance services would be able to increase the journeys they make by 10%, which could significantly improve their response times to emergency calls.
More of your tweets
Martin Barber
BBC News, in Norwich
You might remember Larry from this morning... he couldn't apologise enough for "bothering" the crew. It's not always as nice.
Yesterday, John the paramedic was called to a collapse in a cafe toilet by concerned staff who couldn't rouse a person behind the door.
John went to assist, but when he looked over the top of the toilet, he was hailed with abuse.
"I'm only sleeping. Why do you care when I'm coming out?"
He wanted somewhere warm to sleep, but of course that took John out of the system.
So while John was waiting to ensure the man could leave under his own steam, it meant he wasn't available to assist other patients - potentially in a life threatening situation.
John has been a paramedic for 24 years
The pressures aren't going away, but well done to the East of England team!
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
As of 2pm, East Midlands Ambulance Service had received 1,088 calls through 999 and 134 requests from doctors to transfer patients.
The Clinical Assessment Team (CAT) has managed to deal with 195 calls over phone, providing advice and directing patients to the right place.
And 46% of patients who have called for help today have been treated away from hospital.
But our correspondents in the region are reporting a rise in demand over the last few hours.
Pressure is beginning to build at several hospitals across the area and EMAS has sent a Hospital Ambulance Liaison Officer (HALO) to Kettering General to help coordinate handovers so they happen as quickly as possible.
Image source, EMASAll the calls EMAS has responded to so far today
In October 2015 Wales introduced a new system to respond to emergency calls. It resulted in fewer 999 calls being categorised as life-threatening.
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Full time paramedic James says a lot of calls he sent on could be dealt with in other ways...
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Nick Triggle
Health Correspondent
At the moment, about a quarter of crews dispatched to life-threatening emergencies are called back before they reach the scene after it emerges the call is not so critical.
To help, some services have started giving call centres longer to assess calls to make sure they get the right response first time.
The system is still being evaluated but initial findings are promising, ambulance bosses say.
Our Wales reporter, Teleri Glyn Jones, says it is quieter than expected in the country, but calls are still coming through to the control centre.
So far today there have been 579 calls, relating to 459 incidents.
Of those incidents, 6.75% have been categorised as red - the most urgent with an imminent threat to life.
And available to head to the scene are 105 ambulances and 33 rapid response vehicles.
Image source, ThinkstockThe capital is feeling the pressure today with the number of critical calls.
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
It is the job of ambulance crews to get to their patient as fast as they can.
Here is what it feels like to be in the driving seat.
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Wales is the only UK nation to see an improvement in the time it takes ambulances to reach the most critical 999 calls, new BBC research has found. The health secretary said it showed a "better service with a better outcome for patients". It follows radical changes last year in the way 999 calls are prioritised. But like other areas of the UK, Welsh ambulance crews are facing worsening delays in handing over patients when they get to hospital. Here is an animated guide to the ambulance service in Wales and the issues it faces. Video by Gwyndaf Hughes
Another selection of your emails
Steve writes:
My partner is just about to leave the ambulance service after 10 years and I can’t say I’m sorry. She is consistently being put upon with ridiculous shift work and not finishing on time and added to this she has been abused both mentally and physically and to see her continually coming home in that state was the final straw for me. Her wages are appalling for what she has to contend with and it’s not a career I want her to pursue anymore. The whole NHS is at breaking point and those in Whitehall need to understand this without sending out figures for the amount of investment they have put in since the last government.
Andrew Alford, Portsmouth
Called 999 last night. Paramedic arrived in under a minute as he was in the area. Wife was struggling to breathe and pregnant. Ambulance arrived in five minutes. I would say that was outstanding.
Sarah
My father-in-law waited seven hours for an ambulance, having fallen and broken his hip. - he was assisted by neighbours into wheelchair and was in pain and therefore unable to be moved again. The initial call was made at 3pm and the ambulance arrived at 9.30pm - he was assessed as a non-emergency initially but later upgraded to 'lights and sirens'. However it still took another 3 hours after the upgrade. He is 82 years old and suffers from Parkinson's disease and dementia. The call operator told me 'we are extremely busy and do not have enough ambulances' before terminating the conversation to take other calls. Whilst I understand there there are life threatening priorities I think the call operator has said it all - there are simply not enough ambulances.