Cornwall tops list of ambulance handover delays

Derriford Hospital in Plymouth has lifted the critical incident it announced amid an influx of patients to the emergency department earlier this week.

It followed the Royal Cornwall Hospital which lifted the incident it declared on January 3.

It comes as figures show the percentage of patients waiting more than 30 minutes in the back of an ambulance for treatment last week was higher at the Royal Cornwall hospital (82.6%) than anywhere else in England, according to new figures.

The statistics also show Plymouth's Derriford hospital was fourth worst for handover delays (76.6%), with Torbay hospital eighth on the list (72.2%).

The figures were compiled by the PA news agency from data published by NHS England and broken down by NHS Trust area.

NHS Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Trust declared a critical incident on 3 January amid a surge in flu cases, but this was stood down on Wednesday.

A trust spokesperson said the incident had been lifted thanks to staff working to help people avoid hospital admissions.

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust had also declared a critical incident due to "significant and rising demand" for hospital care.

That was also lifted on Thursday due to "incredible efforts from staff and colleagues in partner organisations".

However, health chiefs warned services were still busy and patients should consider the full range of options available to support them.

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