Handover delays reflect wider issues

AMBULANCES queuing outside busy accident and emergency departments has become an all-too familiar sight across Wales.

It’s common for the public to witness frustrated paramedics standing next to their vehicles wondering when they will be able to offload their (often distressed) patients into hospital.

After an unusually quiet period for the Welsh Ambulance Service at the start of the pandemic – when the vast majority of us were told to stay at home – handover delays have now ramped up once more.

The target is for patients to be transferred into emergency units within 15 minutes of arrival, but in more than half of cases this isn’t being met.

It’s no exaggeration to say that these delays could have fatal consequences for people who have suffered cardiac arrests, serious strokes or been involved in car crashes in their communities.

Performance against so-called ‘Red’ calls, which are deemed the most seriously life-threatening, has grown gradually worse since the goalposts were shifted in 2015.

In August, for instance, just over half (57.6%) of these calls arrived on scene within the eight minute target – way below the 65% target which has not been met for over a year.

It must be emphasised that these handover problems are not the fault of frontline ambulance staff who work tirelessly – often without breaks – to ensure patients receive the best care possible.

These dedicated souls are doing exceptionally well at a time when sickness levels are high, resources are scarce and coronavirus remains among us.

What the Welsh Government needs to get to grips with urgently is chronic, NHS-wide issues which are creating a bottleneck at the acute end of the system.

Historically, Wales has had one of the lowest numbers of critical care beds per head, despite the fact our population is older and has some of the poorest health outcomes in Europe.

Huge improvements are also needed in getting fit and healthy patients out of beds and back into their communities with suitable packages of care in place by local councils.

The problem of handovers cannot be looked at in isolation. It is simply a visual remainder of how the Welsh NHS is unable to cope as a whole.

And the fact we are still some way off winter – when the health service is typically most stretched – is worrying indeed.