AN MP claims that one in four ambulances arriving at the Morecambe Bay (UHMBT) A&E wards are waiting more than an hour.

Patients needing urgent care have to wait at Furness General (FGH) and the Royal Lancaster Infirmary (RLI) before they are seen. Tim Farron, the South Lakes MP, urged a Parliament recall over this issue as MPs are currently on their winter break. 

Mr Farron blamed the Government for failing to address the issue and the trust for not working effectively with social care providers. 'Bed-blocking' is the term for people who should be in a social care facility or receiving care at home but are having to stay in the hospital because they have nowhere else to go. 

Mr Farron said: "There is a whole bunch of things that should be done some of these things are down to the trust not doing things successfully. In Lancashire, they do not have 25 to 30 per cent bed blacking. The hospitals there are working much better with social care providers. The issue isn't care homes it is care in homes. Most people receive care intermittently at home they don't need to go into a home." 

A&E services at RLI and FGH said that they were under 'extreme pressure' just before Christmas. In an appeal to the community, it said: "Our hospitals remain under extreme pressure. You can help by making sure your loved ones get home as soon as they no longer need hospital care. The quicker we can get someone home once they're ready, the quicker we can help care for someone else who really needs it."   

A spokesperson from UHMBT said "As always, all NHS staff are working hard to make sure patients are seen inorder of clinical need. Our priority, as always, is to ensure safe and high-quality care for people in Lancashire and South Cumbria. 

"Hospitals and our community services, including staff across nursing, pharmacy, primary care and general practice, along with other colleagues, are doing all they can to meet people’s needs."