Patients in Norfolk are being urged to think about whether they need an ambulance this winter after more handover delays at one of the region's biggest hospitals.
Several ambulances have again been left queuing waiting to get into A&E at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital - which in December and January suffered some of the worst handover delays in the region - prompting one paramedic to describe the scene as 'absolute chaos'.
The ambulance worker, who wanted to remain anonymous, said they had been waiting at the hospital for two hours on Wednesday night.
A spokesman for the East Anglian Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST) confirmed they 'did experience handover delays' on Wednesday but added that they worked with the hospital to 'review and monitor the situation'.
The spokesman said: 'We have extremely good working relationships with the hospital so that when there are increased pressures on emergency and urgent health care system we can jointly work together to tackle these.
'As we enter the winter period we would always encourage patients to think about what is the best service to help them – if you need help but it is not an emergency please call 111, or you can get advice from your local pharmacist or GP.'
Richard Parker, chief operating officer at the hospital, said: 'There has been an increase in patients calling ambulances and we are working with ambulance staff to limit any delays while making sure patients are safe at all times.
'Sixty per cent more patients arrive at our hospital by ambulance than the next largest hospital which is Addenbrooke's. Whilst this is a challenge, our teams are working really hard to deal with the demand. We are working closely with partners at the CCG and Ambulance Trust to better understand what is driving this increase in demand for our services.'
As reported in December last year, ambulances were forced to divert from the Norfolk and Norwich to Gorleston as A&E demand pushed services to the limit.
In July it emerged that the Norfolk and Norwich had been fined more than £24,000 for failing to meet national ambulance handover targets which require patients to be handed over to A&E staff within 30 minutes of arrival.
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