West Midlands ambulance chiefs admit 'patient harm is undoubtedly happening' after crews lost 3.7 YEARS outside hospitals in September alone

West Midlands Ambulance Service's board has been told that handover delays have climbed back to levels not seen since 2022 — the worst year on record — with service transformation director Aidan Brown cautioning that the approaching winter is "likely to see significant further deterioration." The trust lost the equivalent of 18.2 years to delays across the first half of this financial year. Ambulance chief executive Anthony Marsh has written to NHS leaders setting out "significant concerns."

September's figures showed just 28.5% of handovers completed within 15 minutes, with close to a quarter running beyond an hour.

Brown noted that many board members had been "hopeful, optimistic" as last year drew to a close, expecting conditions to improve — only for them to deteriorate further.

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust stood out as the sole positive example, recognised for a "sustained improvement" in handover performance.