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.
HSJ Podcast: Missing Sunak’s pledge
This week bureau chief Ben Clover is joined by colleagues to discuss some of the biggest stories ahead of the junior doctors’ strike.
Trust withheld key details of deaths, review finds
An ambulance service has pledged to overhaul how it makes disclosures to coroners after a review found that details of care failings were withheld in a number of cases.
‘Beginnings of safety culture’ emerging at ‘cover-up’ trust
An ambulance trust at the centre of an inquiry into alleged cover-ups has shown signs of improvement, according to the Care Quality Commission.
Thousands of English NHS 999 calls answered in Wales
Thousands of 999 calls are being transferred to the Welsh Ambulance Service because they are taking more than five minutes to answer in England, HSJ can reveal.
Striking staff drop cover for strokes and suspected heart attacks
Striking ambulance workers in two regions have said for the first time that they will only answer immediately life-threatening calls — abandoning previous agreements to cover some Category 2 incidents.
Staff at final ambulance trust vote to join strikes
Staff at the East of England ambulance trust – the only one to escape strike action so far – have voted to join the industrial action.
Paramedics not sent to quarter of urgent calls, admits trust
Some ambulance trusts are not sending paramedics to up to around a quarter of their most serious calls, according to figures obtained by HSJ.
Exclusive: Ambulance crews urged to conserve oxygen
Ambulance staff are being urged to conserve oxygen supplies because of a national shortage of small cylinders used both on ambulances and in some A&E departments.
Two full days of ambulance strikes announced for January
Unison has announced two 24-hour ambulance worker strikes in January, adding it will start balloting members for further strikes in the spring.
Ambulance strike dates and trusts revealed
Thousands of ambulance staff across England will go on strike during the festive period this month in a dispute over pay, three unions have announced.
Four in five trusts yet to reach digitisation target
Only one in five trusts has reached the level of digitisation required by 2025 – more than three years after the target was set, tech chiefs have revealed.
Female CEOs say ambulance service culture ‘deeply wrong’
The only two female ambulance chief executives in the country have said there is something ‘deeply wrong’ with the culture in ambulance services.
Deaths inquiry will exclude dozens of concerning cases, says whistleblower
An inquiry into alleged efforts to cover up care failings at an ambulance trust has been criticised by a key whistleblower for being too limited in scope.
Lawyers warned trust that staff could ‘pick and choose’ documents for coroners
An ambulance trust accused of withholding key evidence from coroners was previously warned its staff needed training to ‘understand the real risk of committing criminal offences’ in relation to inquests into patient deaths.
Revealed: Surge in serious incidents caused by ambulance delays
Ambulance trusts are seeing rising numbers of serious incidents resulting from delays in reaching patients, research by HSJ has uncovered.
111 callers eight times more likely to abandon calls in some areas
Callers to NHS 111 services are twice as likely to be judged as needing an ambulance in some regions as others – and up to eight times more likely to abandon their calls.
Soaring trolley waits spark warnings A&E pressures getting ‘worse and worse’
The number of 12-hour waits in accident and emergency departments rose by 27 per cent in one month to reach record levels in January amid warnings overcrowding is harming an increasing number of patients.
Minister intervenes over heart attack patients told to get a lift to hospital
NHS England has been asked to look at an ambulance trust which has been asking patients with heart attacks and strokes to get a lift to hospital.
‘Get a lift to hospital,’ ambulance trust tells patients with suspected heart attacks
Ambulance trusts have begun asking patients with heart attacks and strokes to get a lift to hospital with family or friends instead of waiting for an ambulance, because of high covid absences and ‘unprecedented’ surges in demand, HSJ has learned.