STALLED

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  What works to improve SafeTy, pAtient experience, outcomes and costs related to deLayed ambulance handovers at Emergency Departments? A whole systems approach

• IRAS ID

  340963

• Contact name

  Deborah Fitzsimmons

• Contact email

  d.fitzsimmons@swansea.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Swansea University

• Duration of Study in the UK

  2 years, 2 months, 30 days

• Research summary

  There has been a problem in the UK and other countries for many years, that at busy times Emergency Departments (ED) become unable to manage the flow of patients. Patients remain in the ambulance, sometimes for several hours. In some areas this practice is rare, in others it is common. When ambulances are queuing, patients are not receiving full ED care and ambulances are unavailable, so there are ‘knock-on’ effects on patients and staff throughout the urgent and emergency care system.
  We aim to provide evidence about what works to reduce harms related to ambulance queuing.
  Our objectives are to:
  1. Describe what has been published about what works to reduce ambulance queuing and related harms
  2. Identify initiatives in use across the UK to reduce queuing
  3. Identify EDs where ambulance queuing is rare and understand what policies and practices are being used in those hospitals to reduce delays in patient handover
  4. Assess impact of successful queue management on patient flows, safety, experience, health and costs
  5. Predict wider impacts of initiatives on patient flow through emergency care
  6. Produce guidance about what works to reduce delayed handovers

  We will select 4 sites where ambulance queues are rare (Group 1) and 4 sites where queues are more frequently seen (Group 2). We will carry out work at these eight sites to understand what makes a difference to their performance. We will compare important patient outcomes (including death rate) between groups and send questionnaires to a sample of patients in each group to compare their experiences, quality of life, use of non-NHS services and safety concerns. We will review case notes to compare safety issues between groups, and interview patients and stakeholders from across the emergency care system to find out more about their experiences and views.
  

• REC name

  London - Queen Square Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  24/LO/0792

• Date of REC Opinion

  23 Dec 2024

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion