Responding to a new survey from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Association of Ambulance Chief Executives and the College of Paramedics, the director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, Miriam Deakin said:

"The urgent and emergency pathway is under significant pressure, which is expected to get worse as we head into winter.

"Ambulance services in particular are feeling this strain, with the latest performance figures showing record numbers of 999 calls answered in October for the most seriously ill patients.

"And these pressures are being felt right across the health and care system, with demand growing across all sectors, a significant backlog of care, continued COVID-19 cases, combined with over 99,000 workforce shortages and the ongoing rollout of the vaccination programme.

"Staff are continuing to go above and beyond to provide care for patients under these challenging circumstances, prioritising people based on clinical need.

"But they need more support and investment to make sure the NHS is put back on a sustainable footing."