What do people experience when they need an ambulance?
Last month, we presented evidence to the House of Lords Public Services Committee as part of its investigation into how ambulance services and A&E departments can work together more effectively. The inquiry is exploring how to ease pressure on hospitals and make better use of paramedics’ skills.
To support this work, we analysed the stories people have shared with us, highlighting the challenges they face and the opportunities for improving urgent and emergency care.
What did people tell us?
Four key themes in people’s feedback:
1. Delays in ambulance arrival
Many people report long waits for an ambulance, often far beyond expected response times.
2. Difficult decisions about getting to hospital
People describe feeling forced to choose between waiting for an ambulance or attempting to get to hospital themselves, even when it may not feel safe.
3. A&E departments often feel in disarray
On arrival, people frequently find emergency departments overwhelmed, chaotic, or lacking clear communication.
4. Strong praise for dedication of paramedics and A&E staff
Despite the challenges, people consistently value ambulance services and commend the dedication and professionalism of frontline staff
Delays in ambulance arrival
As of spring 2026, there are signs of progress on ambulance delays. Response times for Category 1 calls, the most life‑threatening emergencies, have stabilised and moved closer to the seven‑minute target. Overall, urgent and emergency care performance almost reached national improvement goals in March.
But for many people with less urgent, yet still serious needs, waits remain far longer than they should be. It has now been five years since most ambulance performance standards were consistently met, and where you live still has a major influence on how long you wait.
People also tell us that delays don’t only happen while waiting for an ambulance to arrive. They can occur at every stage of the journey: waiting for a call handler, waiting for a dispatch decision, queuing outside A&E, and then waiting again inside the department for assessment or a bed.
These delays have real and sometimes profound impacts on people’s health, wellbeing, and confidence in the system.
One person told Healthwatch Nottingham and Nottinghamshire:
“At 10.15pm my wife’s replacement hip popped out leaving her in agony. I called an ambulance. It came at about 7am. A near 75‑year‑old lady left in agony for more than eight hours. This is unacceptable.”
These experiences help explain why our recent State of Health and Social Care report found that public confidence in getting timely ambulance care remains low, even though respect for staff is high.
Difficult decisions about getting to hospital
Alongside long waits, people often describe being left to make difficult decisions with very little information. Call handlers may explain that services are extremely busy, but they cannot give realistic timings. This uncertainty adds to the fear of an already stressful situation.
As a result, families sometimes feel forced to choose between waiting for help or attempting to get to hospital themselves, even when they believe the situation is serious.
One person told Healthwatch Staffordshire:
“I had a nightmare journey to hospital in rush hour believing my father was having a heart attack. I had to watch for him losing consciousness as I’d been told he might need CPR.”
When communication in emergency situations is limited, people feel abandoned by the system at the point they need reassurance most.
A&E departments often feel in disarray
Pressures in A&E are closely tied to many of the issues people raise with us about ambulance services. When no beds are available, ambulances queue outside hospitals, unable to hand over patients, leaving crews stuck and unable to respond to new emergencies.
Inside A&E, people often face long waits in crowded and uncomfortable spaces.
As we set out in our recent blog on corridor care, patients describe a lack of privacy, difficulty accessing food, water or pain relief, and anxiety about missing their name being called if they step away. These conditions leave people feeling vulnerable at a time when they most need calm and reassurance.
One person told Healthwatch Cumberland:
“There weren’t enough seats for all the patients, it felt cramped and there was no ventilation. They left after waiting a few hours, having not managed to be seen by anyone.”
These conditions are particularly distressing for people experiencing a mental health crisis, where noise, lack of privacy and poor communication can make symptoms worse. People tell us these environments can intensify distress, agitation and feelings of being unsafe.
Strong praise for dedication of paramedics and A&E staff
A golden thread runs through the feedback we receive on urgent and emergency care: the incredible commitment and professionalism of NHS staff.
It doesn't go unnoticed. While we hear about many challenges, almost a third of the feedback we receive is positive, and even critical stories often highlight the extraordinary efforts of staff working under immense pressure. This reflects the deep trust people place in paramedics and frontline teams.
One person told Healthwatch Leicestershire that they received: "fantastic service when [their] husband had a seizure. They were reassuring, calm and supportive. In what was a stressful situation they even made me laugh.”
People are clear that the problem is not a lack of care or effort from staff, but a system that too often places both patients and professionals in impossible situations.
Key actions to improve ambulance services.
Improving ambulance services is not just about response times. It is about ensuring people feel supported, informed and treated in the right place first time.
To achieve this, we are calling for:
- Better use of paramedics’ skills and public trust. The NHS 10‑year workforce plan should set out a clear pathway for expanding paramedic roles, including independent prescribing and greater use of “see and treat” approaches. This would help more people get safe care at home and reduce unnecessary pressure on hospitals.
- Improved communication during long waits. Real‑time information can make long waits more manageable. People should receive clearer, more regular updates while waiting for an ambulance, including through digital tools, such as the NHS App as well as tailored advice about what to do while they wait.
- Better handovers and hospital flow. Ambulance delays cannot be solved without tackling congestion inside hospitals. Ending corridor care and long waits for beds is essential for improving patient experience across the whole urgent and emergency pathway.
Ambulance services are often the first point of contact in a medical emergency, and people place immense trust in the staff who care for them. Listening to these experiences, and acting on what people tell us, is essential to rebuilding confidence and delivering safer, more person‑centred care when it matters most.
