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Ambulance handovers, April 2019 onwards

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Data description

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Next update expected:22 October 2026

Updates

17th September 2026
Dataset first published.

Main information

Designation
Accredited official statistics
Data provider
Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust
Data source
No specific source from data provider
Time period covered
April 2019 to August 2026
Dataset ID
8d061d5f-1b02-4c85-9ca6-a00db930bf12

Overview

Summary of dataset and variables

Information about delays in the handover of care of patients from ambulance crews to hospital staff.

Data are provided for the number and percentage of ambulance handovers within 15 minutes, over 15 minutes, within 45 minutes and over 45 minutes. Figures are available from April 2019 for Wales as a whole, local health boards and hospital sites.

Data collection or calculation

Data are extracted from the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust (WAST) computer aided dispatch system.

Arrival at hospital times are recorded through one of the following methods:

  • Geofencing when a vehicle is within a certain number of metres from a hospital.
  • Crew Mobile Data Terminal (MDT) button pressed.
  • Manual update by the control centre following notification from the crew (for example, due to signal loss or technical issues).

Handover times are recorded through:

  • The Hospital Arrival Screen (HAS) button is pressed.
  • Crew Mobile Data Terminal (MDT) button pressed.
  • Manual update by the control centre following notification from the crew (for example, due to signal loss or technical issues).

Handover time is defined as the interval between notification of arrival at a hospital and handover of patient care. Patient care may be handed over to another ambulance crew and not necessarily to hospital staff. Where timestamps are missing, the following substitutions are applied:

  • If the arrival notification time is missing, the arrival at hospital time plus five minutes is used.
  • If the handover time is missing, the vehicle clear time minus five minutes is used. Handover measures are calculated at vehicle level, not incident level.

Inclusions:

  • AS1 (999) Incidents
  • Vehicles flagged as “conveying capable” within the CAD system.
  • Vehicles that have an arrival at hospital time.
  • Vehicles that have a clear date time.
  • All hospitals within Wales.

Exclusions:

  • Conveyances to hospitals outside Wales.
  • Incidents with the following stop codes:
  • Calls made in error.
  • Duplicate calls.
  • Information calls.
  • Calls to other ambulance control centres.
  • Test calls.
  • Incidents with a nature of incident recorded as ACCTS or EMRTS.
  • Handovers completed by taxis commissioned by WAST or by Air Ambulance services.
  • Vehicles with missing timestamps for “Allocation”, “Mobilisation”, “Arrival at scene”, “Arrival at hospital” or “Vehicle Clear”.

Multiple vehicle attendance

More than one vehicle may complete a handover for a single ambulance incident. This may occur during multi-casualty incidents, where additional clinical support is required, or when patient care is transferred between crews to facilitate breaks or shift changes. Each vehicle is counted as a separate handover event and assigned its own handover time.

Data submission and validation

WAST submits a monthly hospital-level return in Excel format. The data are imported into a SQL database and subjected to validation checks, including trend analysis and consistency checks. Any identified anomalies are queried with WAST before publication.

Statistical quality

A weekly and monthly exception reporting process is in place to enable the control centre to review and update records where anomalies are identified. This focuses on incidents with any of the following issues:

  • A hospital handover flag is present, but no arrival timestamp has been recorded.
  • The hospital name is missing.
  • Long handovers (reviewed for accuracy).
  • Times are recorded for when vehicles arrive at hospital and when they are cleared following handover, but handover times are missing.
  • The vehicle clear time occurs before the recorded hospital arrival time.

Event timestamps must be populated in the correct chronological order. If they are not, the incident is omitted from handover measures.

Rounding applied

Percentages are rounded to 1 decimal place

Related reports

Published by

Organisation
Welsh Government
Contact email
stats.healthinfo@gov.wales