BRAINTREE'S NHS trust had the best A&E ambulance waiting times in the region, as nearly one in three people in England waited more than 30 minutes in an ambulance outside A&E this month. 

The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (MSE) went against national trends, lowering its ambulance waiting times from 31 per cent in January, 2023 to 23 per cent in the week of January, 29, 2024.

In England, for the week of January, 29, 2024, 31 per cent of people waited more than half an hour in an ambulance before even being admitted into accident and emergency services. 

While for the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) which covers Colchester, the number of ambulances waiting outside A&E for more than 30 minutes doubled from 16 per cent in January, 2023 to 32 per cent in the week of January, 29, 2024.

Andrew Pike, Chief Operating Officer for MSE, said: “Our Emergency Departments are very busy, with us seeing a higher volume of patients arriving by ambulance, but we are already seeing significant improvements on ambulance handovers since last year.

"Currently we have the best handover rates in the region and are continually working to improve our figures.

“We are working very closely with the East of England Ambulance Service and other local health partners to see patients as quickly as possible.”