Basildon University Hospital: Ambulance Services
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking when ambulance handover times at Basildon Hospital exceed the NHS England 45-minute maximum.
Answered by Karin Smyth
Hospital ambulance liaison officers (HALOs) do not operate against a single national set of key performance indicators, and the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) measures their effectiveness primarily through their contribution to improving patient handovers and patient flow. Responsibility for reducing ambulance handover delays is shared between the EEAST and the acute hospital, with HALOs working closely with hospital operational and clinical teams to identify and resolve barriers to timely handover.
The EEAST works closely with all its acute hospital partners, including Basildon and Thurrock University Hospital (BTUH), to implement NHS England’s directive of 45-minute maximum handovers. NHS England monitors the ambulance handover performance at BTUH and is able to support the most challenged trusts to implement the 45-minute maximum handover. Average handover times at BTUH were 34 minutes and 56 seconds in May 2026.
Ambulance handover delays impact the EEAST’s ability to respond to 999 calls. To minimise delays and improve flow, Basildon Hospital has three bays for ambulances to offload patients, and the trust works to reduce the time it takes for people to move through their emergency care journey to either be treated in its Same Day Emergency Care unit and discharged or admitted to hospital.
Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →