Maximum wait time set for ambulances

Ambulances are being set maximum wait times at Worcestershire hospitals to help tackle the "worst hospital handover delays in the country".

The aim is that no ambulance will wait longer than 45 minutes to transfer patients into the hospital.

West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) crews across the region lost more than 50,000 hours to handover delays in January, which is more than any other ambulance trust in England.

"The next highest was around 27,000 – that's how much of an outlier we are in the country," said Vivek Khashu, the director of strategy and engagement at WMAS. "We are the worst by far."

Around 6,500 hours were spent waiting outside hospitals in Worcestershire and Herefordshire.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust is now introducing maximum waits of 45 minutes for ambulances, a policy Khashu said has successfully reduced handover delays in other parts of the country.

"At the moment we have patients waiting seven or eight hours or longer," he told a meeting of Worcestershire County Council's health overview and scrutiny committee.

Panel chair Karen May questioned how realistic the target was, with Khashu saying it would be a gradual process with a target of four hours in the first week, decreasing to 45 minutes by the fourth week.

"There has to be a credible lead-in time, it's not going to change overnight," he said.

Simon Adams of the patient voice body Healthwatch Worcestershire said patients in ambulances outside the hospital were "better cared for than those in corridors in the emergency department".

Khashu responded: "What about the people who don't get an ambulance? The person who has called 999 and is stuck on the floor gets nothing.

"We wouldn't just push a patient into the hospital and walk away. However, crews have to be empowered to walk away when the 45 minutes is reached."

He said WMAS wanted to reach the standard handover target time of 15 minutes.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust, which runs Worcester, Redditch and Kidderminster hospitals, has been approached for comment on the new handover targets.

Last week, a spokesperson said: "Improving ambulance handover times is a priority for us, and we know how important it is that we do everything we can to get ambulance crews back on the road to deal with urgent calls.

"We are working closely with colleagues in WMAS and the rest of our local health system to improve the care we provide for patients."

Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.