Ambulance response time hits two-year low
Ambulance response times for incidents including elderly people falling rose to the highest level in two years in November.
Ambulance response times soar
Ambulance trusts are coming under severe pressure this week with typical waits reaching two hours for category 2 calls in the West Midlands this morning.
Ambulance trusts suffer as calls jump 13% in London
Ambulance trusts are battling an extremely tough October with calls in one region up by 13 per cent year-on-year and others struggling with hospital handovers.
Emergency performance dips as winter nears
Ambulance response times rose dramatically last month with urgent care performance also worsening as winter appeared to strike early.
NHSE admits ‘urgent’ ambulance target will be missed in capital
NHS England has agreed ambulance trusts can meet ‘realistic’ response times for ‘urgent’ ambulance calls including some heart attacks and stroke this winter, citing ‘service pressures, resources and demand’.
Trust appoints senior ICB figure as new CEO
East of England Ambulance Service Trust has appointed a new chief executive.
Trust ‘exited’ 170 staff in three years due to poor behaviour
An ambulance chief has said his trust “exited” more than 170 staff due to culture and behavioural problems in the last three years.
Bullying still on the rise at troubled trust
An ambulance trust with a long history of cultural problems saw the proportion of staff reporting being bullied or harassed increase in 2023.
Five trusts join forces on AI and procurement
Five ambulance service trusts are forming a group, which will include joint projects on artificial intelligence, and a potential move to standardisation and joint procurement of vehicles.
Four regions still without extra ambulances promised by NHSE
Four regions that successfully bid for dedicated ambulances for mental health patients are still without the specialist vehicles, despite growing concerns the NHS is unable to respond to people in crisis.
Trust chief takes over ICB ‘in recovery’
A CEO who has stabilised a struggling ambulance trust is leaving to take over an integrated care board with major finance and performance problems.
Waiting times focus ‘overshadows misconduct’, finds NHSE review
Ambulance trusts have often prioritised capacity and response times over dealing with cases of misconduct, a review of culture in the sector for NHS England has found.
NHSE acts as performance deteriorates in five systems
Five integrated care systems face escalations in central scrutiny and support following “deterioration” against key urgent and emergency care targets.
‘Special measures’ lifted from long-struggling trust
East of England Ambulance Service Trust has been removed from the support programme formerly known as special measures.
Exclusive: Dozens of new ambulances delayed after supplier goes bust
The delivery of more than 100 new ambulances to the NHS could be delayed ahead of winter after the company paid to supply them went into administration, HSJ has learned.
Three patients died after ambulance transfer delays from private hospital
Three patients died after delayed transfers from a private hospital within a nine-month period, coroner’s findings reveal.
The staff wellbeing strategies that work
Zosia Walecka says that trusts are dedicated to improving staff morale and patient care through their emphasis on culture, evidence-based methods, resource allocation, stress management, and promoting equality and diversity
A&E handover delays up by a fifth, leak reveals
Hours lost to ambulance handover delays shot up by nearly a quarter last month amid growing fears about the pressure on ambulance services going into winter, according to figures seen by HSJ.
Leaders must do more to transform the culture within ambulance trusts
Sir Julian Hartley writes about the ambulance sector within the NHS facing challenges of staff wellbeing, cultural cohesion, and operational performance and how compassionate leadership, teamwork, and positive workplace culture are essential for addressing these issues and improving patient care
The Integrator: ‘We’ve got to be more efficient together’
Insider tales and must-read analysis on how integration is reshaping health and care systems, NHS providers, primary care, and commissioning. This week by correspondent Mimi Launder