Correspondence

Reducing patient handover delays from ambulances to hospitals

A letter from David Flory, Deputy NHS Chief Executive sent to primary care trust cluster chief executives focuses on the concerns of patient handovers from ambulances to hospitals.

Documents

Letter on ambulance handover delays

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Details

This is not a widespread problem, however the long handover times in a number of places is sufficient to warrant focused attention.

Patient handover is reliant on strong collaboration across the system. Some areas have seen commissioners, acute trusts, and ambulance services, with support from their strategic health authority, take proactive steps to address this issue. Examples include bringing together those organisations where handover delays have been consistently problematic, and consider in partnership how to address the issue and share demonstrated good practice.

Published 21 June 2012