Ambulance Offload Officer Service

Ambulance Offload Officer Service - Royal Stoke University Hospital Provision 24/7 to be provided to support improve Ambulance Capacity availability, support system working relationships and be the key link for WMAS and University Hospital of North Midlands regarding ambulance handover performance. The AOO role requirement is a clinical role, that will support patient experience, reduce potential patient harms that occur from handover delays, and also support key system relationships, including administrative functions to support timely flow when an ambulance arrives at the acute.

The need at Royal Stoke hospital is due to the level of demand of conveyances in comparison to the other two acutes in our system and will have an interoperability with the system to support achieve NHSE 25/26 operational guidance that requires systems to have no handovers greater than 45 minutes. Royal Stoke Hospital is an outlier nationally for handover delays, and this role will be a key element in supporting reduce current performance.

There is a need to expand this role to operate at Royal Stoke with an element of this role already within the wider 999 contract. This notice is confirmation of an award having been made due to an urgent circumstance.

The current model that is in place has demonstrated an alternative provider does not support the key objectives of the role. This additionality has been explored to be added to the core contract and cannot be added at this time.

There is a need to support reduce handover delays and the system requirement is to manage this element more locally than the wider 999 contract and the performance at this acute trust in regard to handover delays. This role will also support mitigate the concerns raised by the Ambulance service regarding Handover delays at Royal Stoke.

This is currently being facilitated by UHNM via agency and internal staffing due to the growing need for the role due to operational pressures, however, the HALO role is specific for Ambulance services to provide as part of their core contract and due to the nature of the role can only be operated by the relevant ambulance. The role will require elements of patient care at times of need and operational pressures, therefore there is a requirement to be a WMAS registered paramedic. - The lifetime value of the contract is £ 364,779. - The Contract was awarded 1st June 2025 and ends 31st March 2026