Ambulance services have seen the busiest month on record, with more than one million 999 calls, in pressures as bad as at the depths of winter, according to experts.

       Health chiefs said services were dealing with “pent-up demand” after repeated lockdowns, with growing numbers reaching crisis point after waiting too long to get help.

       The statistics for last month show more than 2,200 accident and emergency patients waiting more than 12 hours on trolleys to be admitted to a ward.

       Medics said the NHS was reaching “boiling point”, with four times as many such waits as have ever been seen in July.

       Health officials urged those in need of urgent care to call 111 or use the online service, unless cases were emergencies.

       The NHS statistics also show the total number of people on the waiting lists reached a new high of 5.45 million.

       In addition, just 67.7 per cent of patients visiting major A&Es were seen within four hours, the lowest percentage on record.

       Experts said pressures on ambulance services were particularly concerning, suggesting that patients who needed help during the pandemic were coming forward only after symptoms had worsened.

       The statistics show 32,400 calls per day for ambulance services in July, with a total figure of more than one million calls, a nine per cent rise in a month.

       Response times for life-threatening emergencies were the worst since early 2018, while those for other calls were the longest since the current categorisation was introduced in 2017.

       The service also saw the highest ever number of ambulance call-outs for life threatening conditions with 82,000 calls, a rise of a third in two years.

       Dr Katherine Henderson, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: “The NHS has been running hot for months now and these figures show we are nearly at boiling point.

       “Four-hour performance has sunk to its lowest ever level, we have levels of 12-hour waits we would usually associate with winter, and July saw the second highest ever number of attendances across emergency care units.”

       Urgent care pressure similar to winter

       Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers, said pressures across urgent and emergency care were very high.

       He said: “Ambulance services have faced pent-up demand due to national lockdowns, patients presenting with more severe symptoms, and the growing mental health impact of the pandemic.

       “Despite the best efforts of frontline staff, 2,215 patients waited over 12 hours to be seen in July. The demands on ambulance services are particularly concerning with the most serious 999 calls requiring an ambulance reaching 82,000 in July – a 32 per cent increase compared to two years ago, before the pandemic.

       “Many trust leaders are saying that they are now experiencing levels of urgent care pressure traditionally seen in the depths of winter.”

       Prof Stephen Powis, national medical director for NHS England, said: “NHS staff have made effective use of the additional resources made available to us to recover services which were inevitably disrupted during the pandemic, and we are continuing to tackle the Covid backlog.

       “This has come as services have seen some of the highest ever number of patients coming forward for care during the summer months, all at the same time as delivering the biggest and most precise vaccine roll-out in our history.

       “I would urge anyone who needs NHS to come forward through NHS 111 Online so that staff can help you with the best option for your care.”

       The 111 service can book slots at A&E departments. However, anyone fearing a life-threatening situation should still call 999.