HANDOVER delays at York Hospital remain high as bosses admit they are under "extreme pressure".

Handovers refer to the time it takes an ambulance patient to be seen by someone in A&E. The figures are broken down into waits that exceed 30 minutes, and those that are longer than an hour.

For the week ending on January 28 this year, 1,008 handovers were completed at York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, with 475 taking more than 30 minutes and 266 taking over 60 minutes.

Last year, figures for the week ending December 10 were 942 total handovers, with 265 taking longer than one hour and 475 longer than 30 minutes, meaning figures have not fallen.

When the December figures were released a spokesperson for the trust - which runs York Hospital, told The Press it was working in partnership with Yorkshire Ambulance Service in a bid to "understand how we can safely speed up the handover of patients".

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Commenting on the latest handover figures, a hospital trust spokesperson said:  "Our hospitals are currently under extreme pressure which has an impact on our emergency departments.

"Operational pressures are being felt across the NHS and our hospitals are no exception with high levels of attendance and ambulance arrivals, which is reflective of the national position this winter.

"We also constantly review our working practices and refine and establish new processes, where appropriate, to manage the flow of patients through our hospitals."

The spokesperson added that people can help the hospital and ambulance service combat the delays.

They said: "We urge people to help us by using alternatives such as NHS 111 if they are unsure whether to go to the emergency department. 

"This will ensure that when people need help, they are guided to best possible care and treatment for their needs.  NHS 111 is available by calling 111, free on landlines and mobiles, or by going online to 111.nhs.uk."