Ambulance to A&E handover delays harmed patients

THOUSANDS of patients suffered as a result of delays in ambulances handing over to A&E in December, says a report.

The Association of Ambulance Chief Executives said 6,000 are estimated to have suffered “severe harm” because of ambulances being delayed for more than an hour at the doors.

As many as 57,000 experienced “potential harm”, across England, an increase of 18,000 from the previous month. The report states that handover delays reached unprecedented levels, with the 227,000 hours lost double that of December 2021.

Official NHS data shows the proportion of ambulance patients who waited at least 30 minutes to be handed to A&E teams was 44 per cent in the week between Christmas and New Year – the highest on record.