44,000 seek aid after social cuts
A&E for more than 12 hours before being admitted to a ward in December.
Such waits were recorded at 38 trusts – but the majority were at the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, which runs A&Es at Royal Stoke University Hospital and Stafford’s County Hospital. Here, 178 patients languished for at least 12 hours.
And the situation could get even worse, as health bosses are considering downgrading either County Hospital or nearby Queen’s Hospital in Burton.
Pennine Acute Hospital, which runs A&Es at Fairfield General Hospital in Bury, North Manchester General Hospital and Royal Oldham Hospital, had the second highest number of 12hour breaches at 86.
Terrible
And the third highest at 84 was Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Worcestershire Royal Hospital – where two patients died last month after long waits on trolleys. It also runs the downgrade-threatened A&E at Alexandra Hospital, Redditch.
Dr Boyle said: “These statistics are terrible. For patients to be waiting that A PATIENT who spent 10 hours on an A&E trolley at Worcestershire Royal Hospital described the unit as “like Armageddon”.
Writing on the NHS Choices feedback website, the patient said the department was “stretched beyond full capacity”.
They wrote: “It showed in delivery of care and treatment by overworked staff. Staff are working in terrible conditions, long on trolleys in corridors is undignified and unkind. But there is also good evidence long waits in A&Es are associated with avoidable mortality.”
Shadow Health Secretary Jon Ashworth said the figures were proof of “Theresa May’s utter disregard for the dire state of the NHS”. He said: “Behind each of these statistics is a patient in unacceptable discomfort.
“Labour is calling for a sustainable funding package for health and social care in the March Budget.”
NHS England said December saw a 41 per cent annual increase in delays it’s like Armageddon. It is not acceptable to have over 16 patients lying on trolleys blocking busy corridors. This hospital cannot function in a safe manner if management allow this to continue.”
The website also allows the hospital trusts to respond and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS said: “We are working hard to introduce ways to discharging patients due to pressures in social care. A spokeswoman said: “Frontline services came under unprecedented pressure.”
On plans to close and downgrade A&Es, she added: “The number of people seeking urgent care is on the rise, so overall we expect the services available to expand. Within that overall expansion, it may be possible to improve care with some concentration of specialist urgent services. We do not expect significant numbers of A&E changes in the years ahead.” improve how we deal with increased ncreased pressure in A&E.”
Patients have also shared horror stories of Hillingdon Hospital’s ’s A&E.
One reviewer, whose partnerner had excruciating pain every time he took a breath, described the unit as s “shambolic” as they spent 12-and-a-half -a-half hours waiting to be admitted. d. NEARLY 44,000 people coping with social issues including homelessness and alcoholism went to an A&E last year in England – up from 21,213 in 2007/8, when figures began. Charities blame sweeping cuts to services and say A&E is sometimes the only place left to go. Jad AdamsAdams, of Nightwatch, said: “Most comcomplain about long A&E waits but ffor the homeless they are welcowelcome because it’s somewheresomewhe warm.” ShadowShado Health Secretary Jon AshwAshworth added: “Theresa May needneeds to get a grip and explainexp what she’ll do to fix this.”