Number of A&E patients treated within four hours at lowest ever level

UK - The number of A&E patients being treated within the politically important four-hour target has reached its lowest ever level, with hospitals managing to care for just 77.3% of patients within that time last month far fewer than the 95% target.

Fewer than four out of five patients were treated and then admitted, discharged or transferred by emergency departments based at hospitals in England during December, what the NHS calls type 1 A&E units. That was the worst performance since records began even worse than the previous low of 77.6% recorded in January 2017 and the 79.3% recorded in December 2016. A record number of patients were also admitted to hospital as an emergency last month 392,277 in another illustration of the intense and growing pressure that the NHS is under. Patients are suffering as a result of hospitals’ inability to treat anywhere near the 95% of A&E arrivals they are supposed to, senior doctors have said.

“These figures support the messages we have been getting from our members about conditions across the NHS and the struggle they are facing to provide safe and compassionate care in exceedingly difficult conditions,” said Dr Nick Scriven, the president of the Society for Acute Medicine, which represents acute and general medical specialist hospitals. (The Guardian)