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It is not uncommon for up to 30 ambulances to be stuck outside north Wales' main hospitals

By Owain Clarke

BBC Wales health correspondent

Ambulance staff are being forced to book taxis to take patients to hospital when having suspected strokes or while experiencing chest pains.

And there are times when no ambulances at all are available across all of north Wales, according to a senior paramedic.

This is because so many crews are tied up outside full A&E departments.

The Welsh government said it expected health boards to make "urgent improvement" to reduce the delays.

The Welsh ambulance service insists it is trying hard to find solutions, including creating new paramedic roles dedicated to only the most serious calls.

But some staff feel they are swimming against the tide, with the most difficult weeks of winter still to come.

I spent two days with the ambulance service in north Wales and witnessed the relentless pressures first-hand.