Minimising patient waits and maximising the ambulances available in the community is the aim of a new scheme launched this week.

Patient Safety Intervention Teams (PSIT) have gone live across the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust region to keep ambulances on the road treating patients.

PSIT will be deployed to emergency departments across the east where handover delays are continuing past 45 minutes, where no immediate resolution of the situation is apparent and patients are waiting for an ambulance response in the community.

The aim is to minimise patient wait and maximise the availability of ambulances in the east of England, which is especially challenging during the winter period.

Teams will work collaboratively with emergency department staff to maintain the safety of patients in the department along with ensuring awareness of those 999 patients who are waiting for a response.

Matt Broad, Interim Deputy Director of Strategy and Transformation, said: “These teams are only deployed in very certain circumstances, however, have already proven their effectiveness. We deployed a team on Monday, meaning six crews could immediately hand over care of their patients, to restock and be back out on the road. It should mean crews can get back on the road to help patients quicker.”

The winter scheme is aimed at supporting our staff and patient care and it is anticipated will run until March 2018. During this week five PSIT teams will be rolled out across the Trust.

PSIT staff will be clearly identifiable and will be dispatched to hospitals by a tactical commander as part of the Trust’s escalation procedures.