00:00Delays to ambulance handovers are one of the biggest issues facing the NHS in Wales today.
00:07At the Grange Hospital in Cumbrian, once among some of the worst in Wales,
00:10those times are beginning to improve, thanks to a new way of working called your next patient,
00:15and there's hope and can be rolled out to improve ambulance times across Wales.
00:19The Grange, which has Gwent's only emergency department,
00:22has struggled with ambulances queuing outside for hours at a time,
00:25leaving crews unable to respond to new 999 calls.
00:28Last year, the situation was so bad,
00:31that giant fans had to be installed to disperse exhaust fumes from waiting vehicles.
00:36Now health bosses say their new approach is starting to pay off.
00:40Under the Your Next Patient plan, staff meet twice daily, in so-called huddles, at 8am and 5.30pm.
00:46There, teams review the hospital's current pressures,
00:48and actively plan for the next patient coming through the doors,
00:51rather than just reacting to the backlog.
00:54That means finding quicker pathways for less urgent cases,
00:57moving patients into the right parts of the hospital sooner,
01:00and freeing up ambulances to get back on the road.
01:04In the week before the planned launch,
01:05170 hours were lost to ambulance delays at the Grange,
01:09but during its first weekend in operation,
01:12that figure dropped to just 20 hours.
01:14The Health Board says it's not a miracle,
01:17but the results of focus, coordination,
01:19and a cultural shift towards planning ahead.
01:22Early signs show improvements for stroke and fracture patients,
01:25who are now being treated more quickly.
01:28Chief Operating Officer Leanne Watkins says there's still a lot more work to do,
01:33but described the early results as outstanding,
01:35showing that even one of Wales' busiest emergency sites
01:38can change how it delivers care.
01:40James P. Watkins, reporting for Local TV.
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