Hospitals seek ‘pause’ on ambulance handover rule
An ambulance trust is “not assured” the 45-minute limit on hospital handovers can be consistently delivered this winter, after repeated requests from hospitals to “pause” it.
North-south divide opens up in ambulance services
Every ambulance trust in the south of England is missing the national category 2 response target so far this year, while all three northern trusts are inside it after a more sustained recovery.
Whole-trust handover model cuts lost ambulance hours from 5,143 to 2,249
Entrant: University Hospitals of Leicester Trust and East Midlands Ambulance Service
Category: Patient Safety Awards 2026/Urgent and Emergency Care Safety Initiative of the Year
Award: Shortlisted
Trusts expect to miss emergency care target
Four of England’s 10 ambulance trusts are expecting to miss the headline response time target for 2026-27, according to their plans for the year.
Delays repairing ageing ambulances hitting response times
Some ambulance trusts report that up to two-fifths of their ambulances are unavailable, with ageing vehicles sidelined for repairs and replacements.
System criticised after death of ‘fit and well’ 23-year-old
Urgent and emergency care services in the East Midlands are letting down people with ”serious but not immediately life-threatening” conditions, a coroner has warned after the death of a “fit and well young man”.
Exclusive: Hospitals making hundreds of 999 calls to get patients to A&E
Ambulances are responding to hundreds of emergency calls to transport patients from hospital buildings to A&Es on the same site, HSJ has found.
Key target hit for sixth straight month
Ambulance services have met a key target for the sixth month running, for the first time since the pandemic.
Trusts cut use of private ambulances despite performance woes
Two ambulance trusts with some of the worst performance on a key response time target are reducing the use of private ambulance firms.
Ambulance services underprepared for ‘mass casualty incidents’
Ambulance services would still struggle to respond effectively to a mass-casualty event like the Manchester Arena bombing, HSJ has learned, as nearly all have been denied the funding needed to bolster preparedness.
County’s ambulance waits plunge to worst in England
Waits for serious ambulance calls in Northamptonshire now rank the worst in the country, after a surge put down to winter pressures and lengthy handover delays.
Patient Safety Watch: Winter returns with a vengeance
HSJ hosts the Patient Safety Watch newsletter, written by Patient Safety Watch chief executive James Titcombe
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.
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.
Trusts face paybill hike from rebanding claims
Ambulance trusts are facing significantly higher costs as thousands of staff look set to be upgraded to a higher pay band.
NHSE recovery target in doubt as 18-month elective waits continue to rise
The number of 78-week breaches on the NHS waiting list has risen for the sixth consecutive month, despite a fall in 65-week waiters and the overall list size, according to official data published today.