Worst summer on record' for A&E waits

Analysis of new NHS figures show that this summer was the worst for A&E waiting times in England since the four-hour target was introduced in 2004.

The Nuffield Trust, alongside BBC Newsnight, found in their analysis that an average of 86 per cent of patients were admitted, transferred or discharged from A&E within four hours in the six months to September, less than the 95 per cent target set for hospitals.

NHS England has conceded that it had been ‘the busiest ever summer’ for A&Es, but doctors are warning that the health system was ‘running out of resilience’ and that winter in A&Es was going to be ‘really difficult’.

The NHS data shows that there were 41,000 more people treated in A&Es within four hours this September, compared to the same month last year. However, there were 64,921 patients waiting more than four hours from decision to their actual admission to further care. Of that number, 455 waited more than 12 hours, a 195.5 per cent increase from the previous year.

Furthermore, there were 2,591 trolley waits  over the April-September period - more than double the number last year.

The last time the government's four-hour target was met was in July 2015. The target is currently under review, after NHS England said it seemed to be distorting priorities.

Sarah Scobie, Nuffield Trust’s Deputy Director of Research, said: “Today’s NHS performance statistics reveal very starkly the pressure facing the NHS and the impact this has on more and more patients. Compared with September last year, within A&E departments the number of patients waiting more than four hours has risen dramatically, by over a third. There has also been an alarming three-fold increase in the numbers of patients who are so sick they need to be admitted but wait more than 12 hours for that to happen. These are vulnerable people, waiting in distress and anxiety, often on trolleys, and despite the very best efforts of NHS staff, this cannot be acceptable.

“The reasons can be found in the sheer numbers of patients coming to A&E and the proportion needing admission, which is steadily increasing year on year. Waiting times for planned treatment are also getting longer, with 15 per cent waiting more than the 18-week target – the worst performance since June 2008. Without a sufficient and urgent plan for solving the workforce crisis, these targets will continue to go in a worse direction and patients will suffer as a result.”