Ambulance handover delays worst on record for this time of year
Ambulance handover delays are at their worst on record for this time of year, NHS figures show.
Almost a quarter (23%) of ambulance patients waited at least 30 minutes to be handed to A&E teams last week.
It was the lowest level the figure has been all winter, down from 36% the previous week and 44% in the week to 1 January.
One in 10 patients waited more than an hour to be handed over to A&E teams last week – also the lowest so far this winter and down week-on-week from one in 20.
Hospital bed occupancy was at the second highest level recorded this winter, with more than 19 in 20 beds occupied across general and acute hospital wards.
More than 14,000 beds were taken up by patients who no longer needed to be there – the second highest amount ever recorded and 12% higher than the same period last year.
However, the number of flu patients in hospital in England fell by more than a third in a week, suggesting the current wave of infections may have peaked.
An average of 3,447 flu patients were in hospital beds each day last week, down 35% from 5,262 during the seven days to 8 January. At this point last winter the figure stood at just 41.
It follows a surge in flu cases in the weeks before Christmas, which the UK Health Security Agency described as the worst flu season for a decade.
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Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England’s national medical director, said: “These figures show that the NHS remains under significant pressure, with near record highs of people in hospital who are medically fit to leave and a high number of beds occupied in hospitals across England.
“The NHS has done extensive preparation for this winter – rolling out extra beds, falls services and nationwide 24/7 control centres to track and manage demand.
“The public can also help by using the best services for their condition – 999 in an emergency and otherwise 111 online, and there is still time to getting vaccinations if eligible.”
