A Kent hospital has recorded the shortest ambulance handover times in the country this summer.

According to the latest NHS figures, Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham had an average ambulance handover time of 12 minutes, 32 seconds between April and July.

The national average is more than 31 minutes.

Medway NHS Foundation Trust said this feat was achieved despite sustained pressure on the hospital with “more patients attending the emergency department than last year”.

The top 10 performing hospital trusts for ambulance handovers also included Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells, with a recorded average handover time of 15 minutes, 23 seconds.

Elsewhere, Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust recorded an average of 17 minutes, 14 seconds, and the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust clocked in at 18 minutes, 2 seconds

The improvements made at Medway follows the launch of an “acute medical model” in October 2022, which prioritises ambulance handovers, enabling rapid transfer of acute medical patients from the emergency department to wards, and promoting early consultant reviews.

Nick Sinclair, Chief Operating Officer at Medway NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I am proud of the tremendous efforts by hospital and ambulance staff to make sure patients are quickly and safely handed over to our emergency department team.

“This is vital so that patients can get the care and treatment they need sooner and so that ambulances can get back on the road quickly to help others.

“This has helped us deliver further improvements in emergency care.

“Now more than three quarters of patients are seen, treated and discharged or admitted within four hours.”

Meanwhile the hospital has routinely been one of the highest performing trusts for emergency care in the south east region, consistently exceeding the national four-hour emergency care standard – up from 65.6 per cent in December 2023 to almost 80 per cent last month (July 2024), against the national target of 78 per cent.

Mr Sinclair added: “Hospital staff continue to work tirelessly, together with our ambulance and community partners, to ensure patients get the care they need quickly, and to further reduce waiting times for patients, particularly those who need to be admitted to a ward.”