AN East Yorkshire MP says more patients should be treated in the back of ambulances rather than taken to hospital.

Conservative backbencher Andrew Percy, MP for Goole, said the approach would benefit people requiring emergency treatment in hospital as it would make better use of ambulance services.

The Health Select Committee member is a community first responder, a role which allows trained volunteers to attend emergency calls received by the ambulance service and provide care until the ambulance arrives.

Concerns over ambulance handover times at accident and emergency departments have been raised around the country.

Figures released last week showed the number of delays in ambulances being able to hand over patients to A&E was 5,234 between January 2 and 8.

Over Christmas week, from December 24 to January 1, the figure was 4,937. These were delays of more than 30 minutes.