A&E handover delays ‘still getting worse at some hospitals’

Ambulance chiefs say handover delays have got worse at some trusts in recent months, despite the picture improving nationally since last winter.

A report from the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives says there are continuing concerns about handover delays at emergency departments.

Jason Killens, the body’s lead chief executive for operations, told HSJ: “There’s been some improvement [at some sites] since February, but what we’ve also seen is a commensurate or bigger decay in other sites across that same period.”

Mr Killens said “it’s difficult to be precise” about why some trusts have struggled more than others but that challenged hospitals are often affected by “pathway issues” including delayed discharges.

“And then maybe there are challenges around stable leadership or the visibility of the leadership, the culture there about managing that risk dynamically, and so on,” he added.

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Source: HSJ, 14 September 2023