Shock 37% rise in 'blue light' ambulances that take more than 30 minutes to reach casualty

Thousands of the most seriously ill emergency patients are being forced to travel further to hospital in ambulances following a swathe of A&E closures and downgrades. Figures obtained by The Mail on Sunday show that the number of patients with life-threatening conditions taking longer than 30 minutes to reach A&E has rocketed by an average of 37 per cent in two years.