Patients faced nine-hour wait

GOur priorities always remain with those who are most seriously ill HOSPITAL SPOKESPERSON

LOUCESTERSHIRE Royal Hospital has responded after patients faced waiting times of up to nine hours.

The long waiting times were recorded for patients at the Gloucester hospital’s emergency department on Thursday.

A screenshot from the its website sent to our sister website Gloucestershire Live revealed a potential 531-minute wait for those needing treatment at the A&E department at 7.30am that day.

But the hospital has said it has been experiencing very high levels of demand at its A&E departments and that sometimes a sudden influx of patients could result in longer wait times.

The hospital reassured patients that times were a guide and would not reflect how long a seriously unwell patient would need to wait for treatment.

A spokesperson for Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are currently experiencing very high levels of demand at our emergency departments and, sometimes, there can be a sudden influx of patients that results in longer waiting times.

“When such situations occur, we work hard to ensure that patients are seen, diagnosed, treated and then admitted or discharged as quickly as possible and we continue to see people according to the urgency of care they require.

“Our live waiting times are intended as a guide and do not, for example, reflect the time that a seriously unwell patient would wait to be seen.

“At times when there is increased demand for our services, a high number of patients may result in longer waiting times for less urgent cases and we urge people to call 111 in the first instance for guidance about the best service for their need.

“For example, their local minor injuries unit may have shorter waiting times and other communitybased services such as pharmacists or GPs may be a better choice for those with less urgent requirements.

“On occasion, some patients will wait longer than we would like. Our aim in these circumstances is to ensure that they remain well cared for, understand the reasons for the delay and are treated as soon as possible.

“Our priorities always remain with those who are most seriously ill.”