Patients whose GP spots symptoms of serious health problems like heart attacks and sepsis are waiting twice as long for an ambulance as those who call 999 alone, an investigation has found.

After doctors revealed they have had patients “die waiting” and had critically ill newborns put at serious risk, the British Medical Association has said NHS bosses must address long waits.

While GPs can assess a patient’s condition, they only request an ambulance when there is an emergency. They are not equipped to provide emergency treatment, GP leaders said.

Delays have become so severe that some senior GPs admit advising patients to call 999 directly and not to mention there is a doctor present.

Others have resorted to taking patients to hospital in their own cars.

Ambulance services are under significant strain, in part because pressures in hospitals at peak times can leave them queued up waiting for space.

Health trust bosses rejected any suggestion there was a practice of deliberately downgrading emergency responses to patients in the care of a health professional.

But they admitted the discrepancy needed to be addressed.

Freedom of Information requests sent by the magazine for GPs, Pulse, to all 13 ambulance trusts in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland showed calls from doctors or other health staff resulted in longer waits across the board.