The NHS continues to be stretched amid winter pressures during this time of the year. Patients across England faced huge delays in major A&E departments last month.
Almost half (44.7 per cent) of all arrivals at major “Type 1” A&Es took more than FOUR hours from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge, according to the latest NHS figures released today. That’s up from 43 per cent in November, but is lower than the 45.3 per cent in December 2023 and 50.4 per cent in December 2022 – the highest on record for any month.
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust – which runs the city’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital – had more than half (58.2 per cent) of attendances were seen within four hours.
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Across the West Midlands, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, it emerged that 63.7 per cent of all arrivals at Type 1 A&Es had to wait over four-hours. Now this interactive gadget below allows you to add your postcode to view wait times about the hospitals nearest your area.
The NHS experienced one of its busiest Decembers on record, with a total of 2.35 million attending A&Es across England. More than half of those (1.44 million) were at major “Type 1” A&E departments, which are consultant-led 24-hour service with full resuscitation facilities and designated accommodation for the reception of accident and emergency patients.
One area where things are improving, however, is with NHS waiting lists. Keir Starmer unveiled his plans to reduce waiting lists on Monday. His announcement comes as waiting lists fell for a third consecutive month in November, with 7.47 million now waiting to start treatment. That’s 61,000 fewer than in October.
The number on the waiting list for over a year also fell, with 221,889 now waiting for over 52 weeks. It means just 3 per cent of those on the waiting list have been there for over a year, down from the post covid outbreak peak of 8.8 per cent back in March 2021.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS National Medical Director, said: “It is clear that hospitals are under exceptional pressure at the start of this new year, with mammoth demand stemming from this ongoing cold weather snap and respiratory viruses like flu – all on the back of 2024 being the busiest year on record for A&E and ambulance teams.
“I never fail to be impressed by the remarkable job that NHS staff across a range of services in the face of current challenges, remaining compassionate, professional and doing everything they can to see patients as quickly as possible while often working in hospitals that are full to bursting. It is hard to quantify just through the data how tough it is for frontline staff at the moment – with some staff working in A&E saying that their days at work feel like some of the days we had during the height of the pandemic.
“That hard work and resilience from staff, alongside vital tools like surgical hubs and community diagnostic centres that keep planned care isolated from winter pressure, meant the waiting list fell again in November to 7.48 million, with the NHS delivering 5% more activity than the same period pre-pandemic.
“As the incredibly busy winter continues and hospitals clearly experience intense pressure, please do continue to only use 999 and A&E in life-threatening emergencies and use NHS 111 and 111 online for other conditions, as well as using your local GP and pharmacy services in the usual way.”