We opened a new Ambulance Receiving Centre (ARC) at Queen’s Hospital, in partnership with the London Ambulance Service (LAS), in November and in the first two months it has already given back to paramedics more than 2,800 hours on the road responding to emergency calls.

At its official opening on Monday 31 January, Dr Vin Diwakar, NHS England’s Regional Medical Director, said: “The ARC is fantastic and is an example of teamwork and partnership that is having a positive impact on patients. Well done to all involved, it’s a great innovation that could be replicated nationally.”

The aim of the ARC is to reduce the time taken for paramedics to hand patients over to our Emergency Department (ED), so patients spend less time waiting in ambulances and LAS crews can get back on the road to help others in need.

ARC provides additional space within our ED for patients to be cared for as they are assessed for whether they need to be admitted or can be treated and sent home safely. This is vital during the busy winter months to reduce the time patients spend waiting in ambulances.

Since it opened, 486 patients have been cared for in the ARC, reducing the time they would otherwise have spent waiting to be handed over to our ED.  Both Trust and LAS staff work closely together to care for patients. It’s making such a difference that we are sharing our learning with other trusts. It is not intended as a permanent solution and has been introduced in response to the very high demand LAS and hospitals are seeing.   

Matthew Trainer, our Chief Executive, said: “We have been working closely with London Ambulance Service (LAS) this winter to try to reduce ambulance handover delays and get crews back on the road.

“Figures from LAS show the ARC has released more than 2,800 hours for ambulance crews to get back out on the road in the first two months, as well as getting patients into a better environment.

“We and LAS are evaluating how the ARC works and are making changes as we go to balance any risks and keep our patients safe. I am proud of the joint working between our teams and am grateful to them for their willingness to innovate during a tough winter.”

London Ambulance Service Chief Executive Daniel Elkeles said: “The ARC has been a great piece of collaboration between the local NHS health and care systems who are working collaboratively to reduce delays in care during these pressurised times. Hundreds of patients have been cared for in the ARC, many whilst waiting to be admitted to a ward, since its creation, helping to free up ambulances to reach patients in need in the community.

“The ARC has shown us what can be achieved by working together and I’d like to thank all involved for their hard work and continued efforts in doing the best for our patients.”