Patient harm ‘almost certain’ due to delays in ambulance handovers

Health bosses have said patients are being put at “catastrophic risk” of harm due to delays in ambulance handovers.

 

West Midlands Ambulance Service has raised its risk rating for such delays to its highest level for the first time in its history.  The risk rating shows the trust believes patient harm is “almost certain” due to the handover delays.

 

Mark Docherty, director of nursing and clinical commissioning at the trust, said it was a “completely unacceptable situation” and said the situation was set to get worse over the coming months as a result of winter pressures.

 

Mr Doherty said “Despite everything we are doing by way of mitigation, we know that patients are coming to harm as a result of delays.

 

“We know that there are patients that are having significant harm and indeed, through our review of learning from deaths, we know that sadly some patients are dying before we get to them.”

 

He said that additional front-line resources had been deployed in an effort to reach more patients, but added “If we follow the trajectory that winter normally follows it’s only going to get worse, and we will lose so many hours in December, January and February that it’s difficult to see how we will be able to respond to some patients in a time frame that’s acceptable.”

 

Martin Flaherty, managing director of the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, said the ambulance sector is experiencing “some of the highest levels of emergency activity in its history” and the association “remains extremely concerned about the unprecedented levels of hospital handover delays which are occurring across the UK.”

 

Chadwick Lawrence’s specialist team of clinical negligence lawyers have years of experience in medical negligence claims, providing support and guidance after life-changing events.  Not only do we represent clients in Yorkshire, but because of our reputation we also represent clients nationally.

 

If you believe that you or a relative may have been injured as a result of clinical/medical negligence, please call for free legal advice from our medical negligence solicitors on the freephone number below.

 

Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

 

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