Ambulance staff told to leave patients in hospital corridors

A health minister has defended plans for ambulances to leave patients in hospital corridors after 45 minutes to be able to respond faster to 999 calls.

While emergency doctors have criticised the move, Stephen Kinnock, the care minister, said the policy had “worked very well” in London.

The Times revealed that NHS England has told ambulance services to think about adopting the “drop and go” system used in London, which is credited with cutting response times for heart attacks and strokes.

Ambulance bosses argue it is safer to leave patients in hospital — even if they have not yet been admitted — rather than risk delays in reaching life-threatening emergencies.

However, A&E doctors insist that it is “not acceptable” to abandon patients without a proper handover and assessment by hospital staff and warn of rows between staff as the health service anticipates a tough winter.

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Source: The Times, 21 October 2024

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