More than 100 patients were forced to wait for over half an hour before being admitted into hospital from ambulances, it has emerged.

New stats have been released for ambulance patient handovers at Royal Bolton Hospital for the week ending December 10. 

Handover delays are regarded as one of the most significant signs that a system is under pressure, as it shows a mismatch between A&E/hospital capacity and the number of patients arriving. 

A handover delay does not necessarily mean that the patient waited in the ambulance – they may have been moved into the A&E department, but staff were not available to complete the handover. 

From a total number of 447 handovers where the time was known, 127 took longer than 30 minutes, 28 per cent of them, and 65 took longer than 60 minutes, 15 per cent of them. 

According to stats from the month of October, the hospital is also below target for ambulance handover times.

National guidance states that patients arriving at an emergency department by ambulance must be handed over to the care of A&E staff within 15 minutes. It is

In September this year, the hospital was behind its targets for patients being handed over within 15, 30 and 60 minutes. 

However, in October, the figures fell further off target, as the busy Christmas season closes in. 

Health chiefs say that they expect to see pressure on the service as winter approaches. 

Rae Wheatcroft, chief operating officer at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said: “As we head deeper into winter we expect to see pressures on our health and care services increase, including in our emergency department.

“To minimise delays to ambulance handovers we have well-tested plans in place and have deployed nursing staff across our Emergency Department to maximise capacity and ensure ambulances are released as quickly as possible, whilst ensuring we’re keeping our patients safe.

“We continue to work incredibly closely with our colleagues at North West Ambulance Service to make sure we’re working together as effectively as we can.

“People can help us during the busy winter period by choosing the appropriate NHS service.

"We’re always here to help in a life or limb-threatening emergency, but if your condition isn’t urgent please consider using your local GP, pharmacy or NHS 111 online for help with your symptoms.”

This comes after waiting times were more than 10 hours at Royal Bolton Hospital's emergency department earlier this week. 

Here are the figures for October 2023 versus September 2023:

Proportion of patients handed over within 15 minutes 

October Target: 65 per cent

October Actual: 43.3 per cent

September Target: 65 per cent

September Actual: 53 per cent

 

Proportion of patients handed over within 30 minutes

October Target: 95 per cent

October Actual: 70.8 per cent 

September Target: 95 per cent 

September Actual: 80.4 per cent

 

Proportion of patients handed over within an hour

October Target: 100 per cent

October Actual: 84.61 per cent 

September Target: 100 per cent

September Actual: 92.55 per cent

Trust bosses are urging people to use other services including http://111.nhs.uk, pharmacy and the GP. 

An NHS statement said: "Choosing the most appropriate place for care allows our ambulance and emergency department staff to concentrate on people whose lives are at risk, and can potentially save you a long wait.

"Our Emergency Department is not an alternative to a GP appointment.

"If your GP is closed you can go to 111.nhs.uk or call 111, which will direct you to the best local service."