Footage shows chaos at Blackpool Victoria Hospital as 14 ambulances queue outside A&E

Blackpool photographer Stephen Cheatly, whose Youtube account is called ‘A Walk on the Wildside’, captured the footage in the early evening on Sunday (November 27).

In the video, Stephen can be heard saying “My goodness, this is absolutely insane, we have got a massive queue of ambulances out here”. He then counts the number of backlogged ambulances in shock and adds “You’re not telling me down there’s 14 ambulances, here queuing outside A and E in Blackpool, this is absolutely insane, what is going on?”

What does the hospital say?

Natalie Hudson, Chief Operating Officer at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “In line with pressures being experienced in urgent and emergency care centres across the country, A&E at Blackpool Victoria Hospital has been exceptionally busy for some time with very high numbers of people routinely attending for treatment. This has resulted in some long waits for people to be seen and admitted to a ward where they need further treatment. The wards themselves are also struggling to discharge people who are medically fit to leave and, on the worst days, this can result in as many as 20 per cent of our beds being blocked.

“All of this together undoubtedly leads to delays in ambulance crews being able to handover patients and this peaked on Sunday afternoon. The Trust’s senior team was on site and worked with colleagues through the night to help clear these ambulances and get them back into the community as soon as we were able to.

“I want to pay tribute to all staff not just in the Emergency Department, but across the hospital and in our community services, where colleagues are doing everything possible to support caring, safe and respectful treatment and support every single day and night. Whilst the pressures are intense and results are not what anyone would want to see, we could not be working any harder to keep patients safe and we’re doing everything possible to manage this unprecedented demand on our services.

"Please, only attend A&E if you need urgent care or treatment and, if not, instead consider using NHS 111, pharmacies across Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre or your local GP. This really does make a difference in enabling us to look after people who need it the most.”

Natalie added that the Trust has been undertaking a significant amount of planning to support the winter period, including:

-A new Same Day Emergency Care facility as part of the new Emergency Village at Blackpool Victoria Hospital which is reducing waiting times and hospital admissions

-A new state of the art Critical Care Unit

-A new gastroenterology facility and a new histology laboratory to increase diagnostic capacity

What does the ambulance service say?

A North West Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “The health service as a whole is currently experiencing significant pressure. During these busy periods, hospital handover waits can become a challenge.

“We work closely with our hospital colleagues across the region to help enable emergency crews to clear as quickly as possible and respond to other patients. Any patients waiting longer than we would like are monitored with the emergency department clinical team informed of any changes in their condition to prioritise them correctly.

“We are grateful to patients for considering alternatives for non-urgent health concerns, including NHS 111 online, GP or local pharmacy, which helps us keep our ambulances available for emergencies.”