Wiltshire Hospital Records Longest Ambulance Handover Times Despite New £30m Unit

New data reveals that a Wiltshire hospital experiences the longest ambulance handover times across the country. Last week, more than 75% of patients arriving at Swindon’s Great Western Hospital waited over 30 minutes to be transferred to A&E teams. These figures, based on data published by NHS England, surface just months after the hospital unveiled a new £30m emergency unit. A hospital spokesperson commented that their urgent and emergency care services are “under significant pressure,” but teams are “working hard to minimise delays.” They added that some patients remain under the care of the ambulance service so that patients with “the most life-threatening conditions can be prioritised first.” When the new unit commenced operations in July, hospital leaders had expressed hopes that the investment in new cubicles would lead to reduced waiting times. Bath’s Royal United Hospital (RUH) in Somerset secured the fourth position on the list. A RUH Bath spokesperson stated that they are increasing the capacity in departments that offer same-day emergency care. “Our teams work tirelessly to provide the best possible care in the Emergency Department and are working hard to eliminate waits. We are sorry that some patients arriving by ambulance still experience waits longer than we would like,” they further remarked. The following list presents the hospitals in England with the most prolonged ambulance queues, ordered by the highest percentage of handovers exceeding 30 minutes. Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us via email or WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.