NHSE wants ‘urgent’ meetings over ambulance handovers risk

NHS England and the Care Quality Commission have asked systems with large numbers of ambulance handover delays to urgently hold a meeting to try to fix the problem by “balancing the risks” of long 999 waiting times.

The request was made in an email to chief executives, which warned the service was “in a difficult position with all parts of the urgent and emergency care pathway under considerable strain… most acutely in ambulance response times which in turn is linked to challenges in handing patients over to emergency departments”.

The NHSE headed letter was signed by its chief operating officer, nursing director and medical director, but also by the CQC’s chief inspector of hospitals Ted Baker.

It said there was a “strong correlation” between handover delays at hospitals — which take place where A&Es are unable to receive patients from ambulances — and long delays for category two ambulances. This is because ambulances have to wait for long periods outside the hospitals.

The letter said: ”It is vital that we have a whole-system approach to considering risks across the urgent and emergency care pathway to provide the best outcomes for our patients. This may mean consideration of actions to be taken downstream to help improve flow and reduce pressures on emergency departments.”

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Source: HSJ, 17 February 2022