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Version: 1.0.5 | Published: 18 Dec 2025 | Updated: 28 days ago
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Ambulance handover to emergency care

Dataset

Summary

Publication Version:
1.0.0
Type:
Information standards
Topics:
  • Care records
  • Continuity of care
  • Demographics
  • Information governance
  • Key care information
  • Patient communication
  • Pharmacy, Medicines and Prescribing
  • Tests and diagnostics
Care Settings:
  • Hospital
  • Urgent and Emergency Care

Contact Point

Documentation

Description:

Emergency care needs fast, effective sharing of information. When clinicians have access to the information they need, they can better ensure safe and high-quality care for patients. The standard defines the information that should be transferred from an ambulance to an emergency department when or just prior to the patient being transferred.

The benefits of an implemented ambulance handover standard:
  • A consistent set of information available to the emergency care professionals through their own record system.
  • Improved patient safety as emergency care professionals will know what medications have been administered, what diagnostic tests have been done, whether the patient has any allergies and other important information obtained by the paramedics.
  • Improved efficiency through better workflow, continuity of care, and pre-arrival streaming based on clinical information.

Clinical leadership was provided by clinicians from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine and the College of Paramedics (CoP). The standard has been developed with the support of professionals and patients.

Dependencies:
[object Object]

Review & Status

Contributor:
Professional Record Standards Body (PRSB)
Scope:
For use with all transfers from ambulance to emergency departments or urgent care services. Out of scope: Ambulance transport or transfers between hospitals. Post event messages to the person’s GP if the person is not conveyed by ambulance services.
Licenced ID:
Crown Copyright https://digital.nhs.uk/about-nhs-digital/terms-and-conditions
Licenced Title:
NHS England permits the copying and re-use of Information Standards, in whole or in part, for commercial and non-commercial purposes but, to protect the integrity of the Information Standards, you are not permitted to adapt, amend or decompile the Information Standards for any purpose without our prior consent.
Dataset Identifier:
18944200-9b31-4e2a-829f-8753e82fce21
Mandated:
No
Status:
active