Major Improvements in Ambulance Handovers at The Grange University Hospital
A new drive to cut waiting times at The Grange University Hospital has seen dramatic results this month.
The initiative, called Your Next Patient, is designed to get patients to the right place in the healthcare system more quickly and to move people from ambulances into the hospital within 45 minutes – a target that only last month seemed out of reach.
The difference has already been striking. The weekend before the launch in early September, ambulances lost more than 170 hours waiting outside the hospital in Cwmbran. During the first weekend of the new system, that figure fell to just 20 hours.
Figures released on 21st September 2025 show that since the beginning of the Your Next Patient initiative, nearly 86% of the 832 patients arriving at The Grange University Hospital’s Emergency Department were handed over within the 45-minute window. That ranked the hospital fourth out of 12 in Wales, despite being one of the busiest sites in the country for ambulance arrivals, and being a specialist and critical care centre.
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board’s Chief Operating Officer, Leanne Watkins, said: “Before Your Next Patient was launched we were among the worst in Wales for ambulance handovers, with some patients waiting many hours outside The Grange University Hospital.
“Now the average lost time per arrival has dropped from about two hours to under 15 minutes. That makes a huge difference – not just for our patients at The Grange University Hospital but for the whole community, because ambulances can get back out to people faster.
“Our staff and teams have all worked together and made an outstanding effort to find new ways of improving patient flow across our entire healthcare system.”
The improvements are being seen beyond the Emergency Department. Some stroke patients have made their way to the hyper acute stroke ward within an hour of arriving, while others needing surgery for broken hips have been operated on the same day.
The new ways of working – including twice-daily team “huddles” to plan and adjust throughout each day – are still at an early stage but are already showing excellent results.
Interim Medical Director, Dr Andy Bagwell, added: “We know there is still a long way to go, but these early results are really encouraging.
“Patients are being seen more quickly, ambulance crews are back on the road sooner, and our teams are working together in new ways that are making a real difference.
“The focus in the coming weeks will be on sustaining the improvements we’ve made and making sure patients are discharged from hospital safely so beds remain available for those that need them most.”
Lee Brooks, Executive Director of Operations at the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “The progress to reduce delays at The Grange University Hospital is really encouraging, and we’re grateful to Aneurin Bevan University Health Board colleagues for making this a priority.
“The key now as we continue to evolve the way we respond to patients is to sustain these improvements so that ambulances are available for those who need them most.”