HUNDREDS of ambulances were delayed by more than an hour as they waited to hand over patients to hospital during Christmas week as resources came under intense pressure.

Figures provided by NHS England show York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, which runs hospitals in York, Scarborough, Malton and Selby, had the largest number of delayed ambulances across Yorkshire and Humber as they waited with patients for beds to become available between Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve.

Two hundred and one ambulances were delayed for an hour or longer across the trust’s hospitals and 170 suffered delays of between 30 and 60 minutes during Christmas week.

Anne Leonard, from Defend Our NHS York, said: “It’s shameful that York is the bottom of this league: a small, apparently affluent and compact area compared with the other places listed.

“Secondly, what lessons can be learnt from those areas with a better record: what are their secrets?

“Better management of and more adequate resources for social care to prevent the bed blocking that causes so many delays and ambulance queues?

“The distress and dangers that ensue from these delays are entirely avoidable with better funding and skilled deployment of what resources are available.”

A spokesman for York Hospital said the site had been “exceptionally busy”.

He added: “All escalation policies are in place and staff are working with colleagues from Yorkshire Ambulance Service to keep delays to a minimum, and develop ways of coping with the increased demand at this time of year.

“Patients can also play their part in helping to reduce demand during winter. Our hospital A&E departments are for emergency care only. People should consult their GP or pharmacist, or if they are unsure where to go for advice or treatment, they can call the NHS 111 service.”

Across the country, 16,900 people – the highest number this winter – were stuck in the back of ambulances waiting to enter an A&E unit during Christmas week. Of those, 4,700 had to endure a delay of at least an hour.

Stephen Segasby, deputy director of Operations at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said: “Effective handovers from the ambulance service to hospital emergency departments are an integral part of delivering the best clinical care for patients. Our staff are working tirelessly to respond to 999 calls and we continue to work together closely with hospital colleagues to ensure efficient ambulance handover processes are in place.

“Many hospital emergency departments across the country are currently experiencing very high demand which, understandably, has resulted in delayed handovers. Yorkshire Ambulance Service continues to liaise with hospitals and other NHS partners in Yorkshire and the Humber to try to resolve any issues and minimise the impact on patients.”