AMBULANCE chiefs say long waits to hand over patients at Basildon Hospital are "directly" impacting 999 cover.

A fresh report has revealed at Basildon Hospital the average handover time worsened from 26 minutes 28 seconds in 2024 to 36 minutes 37 seconds in 2025 – over twice the target.

The national standard is to hand patients from ambulance crews to hospital teams within 15 minutes

Only 14.97 per cent of patients were handed over within 15 minutes in January 2026, the latest month with full data, according to the report.

In the same month the report states almost 1,300 hours were lost to handover delays over 15 minutes at Basildon alone, the equivalent of 108 ambulances being off the road for an entire 12-hour shift.

The longest single delay so far this winter was 8 hours 59 minutes on December 8, 2025, it adds.

Hospital bosses said they are "working closely" with the ambulance service to reduce handover delays.

Thurrock Council's Adults and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee will meet on Thursday to discuss the report after requesting the figures.

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In the report, the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust warns that these delays have a direct impact on response times, particularly for Category 2 incidents such as suspected strokes and chest pain.

As a result of delays, the report states crews are tied up outside A&E instead of responding to new emergencies in the community.

In response, the ambulance trust says it is working closely with hospital partners to implement NHS England's directive that, during periods of extreme pressure, all handovers should be completed within 45 minutes.

Managers say this helps keep the system moving but must be carefully balanced against patient safety inside already busy emergency departments.

Where hospital capacity is especially constrained, the trust says it continues to work with acute sites to prioritise the rapid release of ambulances for life threatening Category 1 calls, so that the sickest patients are not left waiting.

Councillors will be asked to note the report and the steps being taken, as well as support wider efforts to improve performance.

The report states: "Hospital handover delays at Basildon Hospital worsened in 2025, compared to 2024. We continue to work closely with hospital partners to minimise handover delays so our ambulances can get back on the road responding to 999 calls."

Dawn Scrafield, chief executive of Mid and South Essex NHS Trust, said: "Our dedicated staff in Basildon Hospital's emergency department are working closely with colleagues at East of England Ambulance Service to help reduce handover delays."

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