End of Shift and IX trials update

Ambulance line up blue sky

The fourth and final phase of the End of Shift trial will end on Monday 29 November, as will the initial phase of the IX trial. 

The data continues to evidence the increased protection the trial has provided. Up to 19 November there had been 28,500 DSA/RRV shifts in trial areas. During this time 100 resources in their last 30 minutes were closest to a C1 but were not dispatched, or were dispatched and then stood down, due to the trial protections, and only 23 resources (two responding to a GB) were dispatched and attended in their last 30 minutes. The data also shows that there has been no significant impact on patient safety: reviews of calls affected by the trial have show all to have resulted in no patient harm apart from three assessed as ‘negligible harm’. 

Consequently, the reduced code set for the last 30 minutes of shifts (i.e. Code 9, Echo codes and 5 maternity C1 codes) will now become ‘business as usual’ (BAU) as from Monday 29 November. 

The IX Trial will expand across all sectors from Monday 29 November until Monday 3 January. Should this period of expansion be successful then it is anticipated that the same reduced code set for IX will come BAU as from 3 January. 

For more information on the End of Shift and IX trials please see Need to Know, in particular the FAQ's linked.

If you have any questions, comments, suggestions etc. about either trial, please email the trial team on eostrial@eastamb.nhs.uk.

Published 26th November 2021