Barts sees improvements in waiting times for patients

Barts Health NHS Trust has said that nearly 5,000 more people were seen and treated within four hours at Barts Health hospitals this January compared with last.

Despite a huge increase in people needing urgent care - over 3,200 more people attended the trust’s three A&E departments last month - performance against the national four-hour standard improved by over five per cent; up from 81 per cent to 86.5 per cent.

Whipps Cross Hospital, in Leytonstone, saw a vast improvement from the 77 per cent of patients treated within four hours last January, to over 88 per cent this year. Newham and The Royal London hospitals also saw more patients within four hours than this time last year, despite more people attending their A&Es.

Last year, Barts Health set up a winter operations centre to monitor demand in real time, and co-ordinate a response to peaks in demand, alongside £1 million of internal funds allocated for schemes to tackle hot spots.

Charlotte Hopkins, clinical director for the Emergency Department and Paediatrics at Whipps Cross said: “It’s been a really tough winter this year, with huge demand on our emergency department. Staff across the hospital have pulled together as one team and our partners have been doing everything they can to provide alternative community care or help patients leave hospital as soon as they’re healthy enough. It means we’ve kept more beds free for the most poorly patients coming through our doors.”