Fears of permanent NHS winter crisis as long A&E waits jump 11%

THE number of Londoners waiting more than 12 hours in A&E has jumped by 11 per cent in a month, figures revealed today, raising fears that the capital’s annual NHS winter crisis could become permanent.

In March, 8,716 people had to wait more than 12 hours in A&E from a decision to admit to actually being admitted, up from 7,807 the month before.

London is also under acute pressure compared with other regions, the figures show, as national 12-hour waits fell by 3.3 per cent during the same period. Nearly a fifth of 12-hour waits were in London hospitals.

Long wait times in A&E usually peak in December and January due to a surge in winter viruses. But the latest data suggests that pressure on emergency services could be sustained beyond the winter period, as 12-hour waits in London are up 18 per cent on the figure recorded in March last year.

More than 415,000 people in London attended A&E in March, a rise of nine per cent on February.

The NHS recovery plan target to admit, transfer or discharge 76 per cent of patients attending A&E within four hours was also not met in the capital. The number of people waiting more than four hours from a decision to admit to admission in London climbed by six per cent.

NHS national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said the latest performance data “demonstrates once again how the NHS is working flat out to recover services” despite “enormous demand”.

He added that industrial action “has had a significant impact” on the size of the NHS waiting list, which fell by 400,000 in a month.