One distressed patient had to be rushed to hospital by car because none was available - then saw a row of them immobilised. Several have been clamped in recent months and charged a £50 release fee.
Bosses at the NHS King's College Hospital in South East London insist they have to ensure a free flow of traffic on the site.
Photo from here.
The local NHS trust has a contract with private firm Caring For You to use around 60 of its ambulances for non-emergencies.
A trust spokesman said the firm was given guidelines stating they could park in designated drop-off zones for an hour. He added: "Some drivers have been leaving vehicles in drop-off bays for longer. This causes problems with access for other vehicles which are dropping off and collecting patients."
He did not explain how clamping the ambulances in their parking bays solved access problems for other vehicles.
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