Ambulance crews in Staffordshire faced delays totalling more than 1,800 hours in a single week while handing over patients to hospital emergency departments. The situation has been described as “unacceptable” by the chief executive of University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM) NHS Trust.
Long delays and winter pressures
During one particularly challenging week last month, patients faced an average handover time of more than two hours, according to figures presented at a recent UHNM board meeting.
UHNM, which runs Royal Stoke University Hospital and County Hospital in Stafford, has struggled with sustained winter pressures since critical incidents were declared in December and January.
At the January board meeting, members were told that ambulance arrivals and hospital bed occupancy levels were much higher than expected. Speaking at the latest meeting on Wednesday, 12th March 2025, UHNM’s chief executive Simon Constable highlighted the scale of the challenges faced by staff.
Impact of illness and internal challenges
Constable acknowledged that external factors, including outbreaks of flu, Covid, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), and norovirus, had placed additional strain on hospital capacity. However, he also emphasised the need for internal improvements, particularly in reducing ambulance handover delays.
Figures presented to the board showed that:
- 1,729 hours were lost to ambulance delays in the week commencing 27th January
- 1,806 hours were lost in the week commencing 24th February
- 936 hours were lost in the week commencing 3rd March—the lowest figure since December
Despite the improvement, Constable stressed that handover delays remain a serious concern, stating: “That’s the best figure we have had since December. But that is still unacceptable.”
Steps being taken to ease pressures
In response to the crisis, UHNM has appointed an Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC) Recovery Director and introduced a UEC improvement plan.
Key actions include:
- Postponing some non-urgent elective procedures to increase medical capacity
- Reallocating outpatient staff to emergency care to support admission avoidance
- Expanding patient discharge efforts, with an additional 50 community hospital beds opened across North Staffordshire
The hospital board remains focused on reducing delays and ensuring patients receive timely emergency care.
