ALMOST two million patients were treated at the scene by ambulance services without needing onward transportation to hospital – a 10% rise on last year, figures reveal.

A report by The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) shows more than one in three patients treated entirely by ambulance workers had been assessed by the call handler as falling into Category A, which meant their condition was potentially life threatening.

HSCIC chairman, Kingsley Manning, said: “Our figures highlight a substantial rise in the number of patients who were treated entirely at the scene by ambulance services.

“This data is of significance given the recent debates about pressures on accident and emergency departments, how NHS resources are used and the best way of delivering patients excellent care.”

The report shows control rooms received 9.08 million emergency calls in 2012-13, a rise of more than half a million (6.9%) on 2011-12.

One in three of these was recorded as Category A (32.5% or 2.95 million).