Student paramedics are missing out on learning how to save lives because they are wasting hours in ambulances outside A&E instead of attending calls, it has been revealed.
The College of Paramedics and ambulance directors say the hold-ups mean trainees are missing vital on-the-job experience, leading to fears over the safety of patients.
As a result, the 2,500 to 3,000 paramedics who qualify each September, joining a workforce of more than 30,000 across the UK, risk being sent out without the level of experience of graduates from previous years.
