An NHS hospital in east London has been found to have the worst patient wait times in England.
In February, more than 31% of people waited more than 12 hours in the emergency rooms of NHS Trust hospitals at Barking, Havering and Redbridge Universities, according to preliminary data.
New data from NHS England reveals the true extent of the workload in emergency rooms across the country: 125,505 people – or 10.6% of nearly 1.2 million patients – wait more than 12 hours before being transferred or discharged in February.
This is more than double previous estimates of the number of people waiting 12 hours or more in the emergency room.
Elsewhere, data from NHS England showed that the overall waiting list for planned treatments has reached an all-time high, leading health experts to fear that longer waits are “normalizing”.
After Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust, East Kent and Blackpool NHS Trusts came in second with the worst numbers at 25.1% and 24.7% respectively.
The NHS Trusts in North Bristol and Royal Berkshire with a share of 1.3%, and the Guy’s and St. Thomas Foundations in London with a share of 1.1% each were the best performing trusts, along with the NHS Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Trust and the Children’s Fund NHS Alder Hey. Trust. Only 0.6 percent of patients have waited more than 12 hours in the last two.
The region with the worst waiting times was the North West, where 13.5% of emergency patients waited over 12 hours, followed by London at 11.8% and the Midlands at 11.7%.
The new 12-hour wait figures come after NHS England and the government pledged to release data on patient expectations from the time they arrive at the emergency room as part of an emergency and disaster recovery plan.
Worst hospitals waiting for emergency care
Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust University Hospitals – 31.3%
East Kent University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – 25.1%
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – 24.7%
Plymouth University Hospitals NHS Trust – 24.4%
NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board – 21.6%
Shrewsbury Hospital and Telford NHS Trust – 21.6%
NHS Cornwall and the Isles Of Scilly Integrated Care Board – 20.5%
Royal Hospitals of Cornwall NHS Trust – 20.5%
Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust – 19.7%
Warrington and Hulton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – 19.3 percent
York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – 18.8%
St. Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust – 18.6%
Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust – 18.3 percent
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – 18 percent
Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust – 17.7%
Wye Valley NHS Trust – 17.4%
NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board – 16.6%
London Northwestern Health University NHS Trust – 16.6%
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust – 16.4 percent
Derby and Burton University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – 16.3 percent
University of Hull Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust – 16.3 percent
Previously, rooms were only available to people who waited in the emergency room for more than 12 hours from the time a decision was made to recognize actual hospitalization. As a result of the measure, 39,671 people waited more than 12 hours in March, up 13 percent from 34,976 in February, but lower than the December 2022 record of 54,532.
NHS wait times are under threat this week after tens of thousands of junior doctors went on a four-day strike to get paid over fears that some 350,000 appointments will have to be postponed.
NHS England data also shows that the number of people waiting to start routine hospital care rose to a new high, from 7.21 million in January to 7.22 million at the end of February.
But the longest wait times are improving as efforts are made to eliminate delayed appointments. It is unclear if the government and NHS England will meet their goal of eliminating all waiting periods over 18 months by April 2023, if possible.
The number of people waiting in hospital for more than a year and a half fell to 29,778 in February from 45,631 in January, down 35% from the previous month.
Wait times over 52 weeks have been reduced from 379,245 in January to 362,498 in February. The goal of their complete elimination is March 2025.
NHS England also reported that the average response time for ambulances in March to the most urgent incidents was eight minutes and 49 seconds.
That’s more than eight minutes and 30 seconds in February. The goal is seven minutes.
The numbers match a two-day nurses’ strike in February and a three-day strike by local ambulance workers at the end of the month.
Jessica Morris, senior fellow at the independent health think tank Nuffield Trust, said: “Despite some positive progress, the goal of eliminating waiting times of more than 18 months for scheduled procedures by April remains elusive.
“As the NHS focuses on getting past this longest waiting time, the average waiting time for treatment is reduced to 14.5 weeks, compared to 7.5 weeks just before the pandemic. As the overall waitlist continues to reach an all-time high, longer wait times are normalizing. There is also a risk that people in urgent need of treatment will not be effectively prioritized, which could lead to worsening conditions and increased need for future care.”
Miriam Deakin, director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, England’s NHS Trusts affiliate, said the new emergency and emergency waiting data is “a real challenge” reflecting “incredible demand-driven pressure on trusts.” She said: “The NHS is under intense and intermittent pressure. Continuing problems in the field of emergency care prevent an increase in the time of arrival of the ambulance and the waiting time in the emergency department.
“Trust leaders are in desperate need of a fully funded long-term workforce plan to begin addressing staff shortages, turnover and burnout.”
Dr Leila McKay, policy director for the NHS Confederation, said the pressure on the service remains “relentless”.
She said: “Numbers of waiting for emergency care within 12 hours of arrival show that too many patients are waiting longer than NHS leaders want or expect.
“This is an ongoing priority for NHS leaders and their teams and has been addressed in line with the steps taken in the recent contingency and disaster recovery plan.”
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.