Leicester: Patient died waiting in ambulance outside A&E

East Midlands Ambulance Service has voiced concerns about handover delays

A patient has died after waiting for more than two hours in the back of an ambulance outside an emergency department in Leicester.

The person had been taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary in April but had a sudden cardiac arrest while waiting to be handed over to clinical staff.

The death emerged after a Freedom of Information request by Liberal Democrat health campaigner Zuffar Haq.

The target handover time at emergency departments is 15 minutes.

East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) has voiced concern about the amount of time being lost due to delays transferring patients to clinical staff.

In a report it said the equivalent of 16,500 ambulance crew hours were lost across the six counties of the East Midlands in April due to hold-ups.

In Leicester in the first five months of 2022, more than 1,500 patients were kept waiting in ambulances for more than four hours to be booked in by the emergency department.

The service said ambulances being delayed at hospitals meant it had less capacity to respond to 999 calls, potentially putting lives at risk.

Hospital bosses said the death would be reviewed

Richard Mitchell, chief executive of the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, said: "Our thoughts are with the family of the patient at this difficult time.

"Patients in hospital and on ambulances are regularly assessed to ensure any deterioration is captured as quickly as possible so the right medical interventions can be put in place.

"If an unexpected death occurs, this is reviewed for assurances around safety and processes. These processes help to keep patients safe."

Health watchdog, the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB), has warned that delays unloading ambulances at busy hospitals across the country are causing serious harm to patients.

The government has said it will carefully consider the HSIB's report and "respond in due course".