HOSPITALS in Dorset have been fined a total of more than £91,000 for delaying ambulance crews at A&E departments.

The Royal Bournemouth, Poole and others were fined by the the South Western Ambulance Service Trust (SWAST) for hold-ups in A&E during the last financial year.

“Our ambulances and staff should be out there dealing with patients – we can’t do that if they’re queuing at A&E departments,” said Ken Wenman, chief executive of the ambulance trust.

The figures were revealed as a result of a Freedom of Infor-mation request.

The trust issued fines of almost £350,000 to hospitals across the West Country, with the worst offender, the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro, fined £71,000.

As one of the lowest amounts fined, Dorset County Hospital was fined £6,886 but the foundation trust has disputed every fine and claim that they have not resulted in paying out any fines.

A spokesperson for Dorset County Hospital Foun-dation Trust said: “Our ambulance handover times are the best in the South West and we have never been fined over the two years since the charges were introduced.

“Our emergency department works closely with South Western Ambulance Service Trust to ensure that handovers are undertaken in a timely manner to prevent any deterioration in a patient’s condition.”

The spokesperson added that the trust has been handed fines but has disputed each one so the fines were not validated or paid.

Mr Wenman said the trust has seen “significant improvements” at some hospitals since charges were introduced two years ago.

It was hoped the charges would encourage hospitals to improve handover and reduce delays. A statement from Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch NHS Foundation Trust said: “We have worked very closely with SWAST to significantly reduce the handover time for patients by more than three minutes.

“A number of improvements continue within the emergency department. As well as investing in new technology such as ambulance arrival screens and an alert system, we continually update staff training.

“Our partnership work with SWAST continues in order to improve the service for our patients while ensuring safe and thorough clinical handovers.

“As this data has been provided by SWAST we are unable to confirm these figures.”