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999 calls delayed by waits outside 'struggling' Midland hospitals

West Midlands Ambulance staff have been delayed in responding to 999 calls as a result of 'unacceptable' waiting times outside hospitals, a health chief has revealed.

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Trust bosses labelled the handover delays and turnaround times at a number of hospital emergency departments in the past couple of months as 'eye watering'.

Anthony Marsh, chief executive officer of the trust, said that the situation had 'deteriorated further' since their last meeting.

Board papers state: "There have also been incidents of unacceptable behaviour being applied by some acute trusts to regulate or delay ambulance access outside of emergency departments to offload patients."

Data which reveals the the total of hours lost over one hour per hospital in December revealed that the worst hit were University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire, with 432 hours, and Worcestershire Royal hospital with 364.

Following behind are Walsall Manor with 274 and Russell's Hall Hospital with 249. Fairing better were Sandwell Hospital with 96, Birmingham's City Hospital with 78 and County Hospital Stafford with only one hour lost.

Speaking at the trust board meeting on January 26, Mr Marsh said: "They are eye watering numbers. We are doing everything we can to work with these struggling hospitals and I want to lead on a national programme of work.

"But I want to reassure everyone that we are intensely supporting them so that the numbers are reduced as soon as possible."

Despite these figures, the news comes as West Midlands Ambulance Service were rated outstanding by the Care Quality Commission.

The commission carried out an announced inspection between June 27, 2016 to July 1, 2016.

Further unannounced and conducted unannounced inspections were carried out on July 13 and 14, 2016.

The trust is the highest target performer across all 10 ambulance trusts in England.

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