Stroke and heart attack patients waiting almost an hour for ambulances in England

Delay in responding to second most serious category of incident is more than three times the 18-minute maximum wait

Ambulances are taking almost an hour to reach patients who have had a suspected stroke or heart attack, more than three times the 18-minute maximum wait, the latest NHS data shows.

Ambulance crews in England took an average of 59 minutes and seven seconds to respond to category two" 999 calls, the second most serious category of incident. That also includes people suffering from an epileptic fit, major burn or sepsis, which kills 48,000 people a year.