IMPROVEMENTS are needed to ease pressure on urgent and emergency care services across the region, a major inspection has found.

Pressures were particularly felt in the "stretched" ambulance service, causing staff mental and physical stress, say inspectors.

The Care Quality Commission carried out co-ordinated inspections between March and May across the West Yorkshire integrated care system – a new partnership between organisations involved in health and care.

The commission found that services were under continued pressure and people were experiencing difficulties accessing urgent and emergency care.

As part of the review, 999 and NHS 111 services run by the Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust were inspected – together with GP surgeries, urgent care out-of-hours services and adult social care providers.

Urgent and emergency care run by Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust was also included.

The commission said staff across West Yorkshire "continued to work under sustained pressure" and whilst there was an effort to find new ways of working, "people continued to experience delays in accessing care and treatment".

Inspectors said the NHS 111 service was experiencing "significant staffing challenges". There had been an increase in demand, particularly from people trying to access dental treatment.

The commission says: "Due to demand and capacity issues, the performance was poor in some key areas – such as providing a call back to patients from a clinician."

Inspectors said resources in the ambulance service were being "continuously stretched".

"The delay in sending ambulances meant people were calling to the service a number of times to ask for updates or to provide new information if the patient's condition changed," said the report.

For category one calls – the most serious incidents – performance as of April 25 was eight minutes and 18 seconds against a target of seven minutes; and 33 minutes for category two calls, against a target of 18 minutes.

Dr Adam Sheppard, chair of West Yorkshire Urgent and Emergency Care Board, said: "We're acutely aware of the challenges faced by our staff and by local people and are absolutely committed to working together across the whole of the system to better join up care and to deliver safe care for all.

"Our staff, volunteers and carers continue to work exceptionally hard, and they should be applauded.

"We will be putting together further actions to prioritise where we can improve following this substantial process."