A&E waiting times on the rise as number of patients waiting more than 4 hours ...

By
Sophie Borland Health Reporter

PUBLISHED:

08:36 EST, 6 December 2012

|

UPDATED:

02:50 EST, 7 December 2012

One in three patients are waiting more than an hour to be seen in AE, a report shows.

It reveals that waiting times are rising across hospital emergency units struggling to cope with higher volumes of patients.

One in ten patients are waiting more than two hours and three per cent have to wait longer than four hours.

A third of patients spent more than four hours in AE, compared to 23 per cent in 2004, a new report has revealed

Waiting times are rising across hospital emergency units struggling to cope with higher volumes of patients

The Care Quality Commission report also found that a quarter of patients say they do not always trust the doctor or nurse treating them,

One in 20 said the AE unit wasn't clean, with 12 per cent being unhappy with the state of the toilets.

A fifth said they weren't always treated with dignity or respect and the same proportion said they didn't always get enough privacy.

Dr Peter Carter, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, said: 'These findings are symptomatic of a system under huge strain because of a lack of beds and staff.

'People should not be waiting an unreasonable time to be admitted and treated but, when the country's health care needs are increasing and already over-stretched hospitals are losing resources, it is sadly inevitable that waiting times will increase.'

The watchdog surveyed 46,000 patients who were admitted to AE between January and March this year. It found that 29 per cent waited at least an hour to be seen, up from 27 per cent in 2008.

And five per cent of patients who were brought to hospital by ambulance had to wait in the vehicle for longer than an hour.

More babies are being delivered by doctors rather than midwives as births become more risky

Health professionals say AE departments are becoming increasingly overstretched due to higher volumes of patients.

This has partly been blamed on patchy out-of-hours GP services as well as rising numbers of alcohol-related admissions.

But
many departments are understaffed – last year, Mid Staffordshire NHS
trust was forced to bring in Army medics to help run its unit.

The
Government has also been blamed for the rise in waiting times, after
last year scrapping a target that 98 per cent of patients should be seen
within four hours, claiming it had 'no clinical justification'.

Former health secretary Andrew Lansley replaced it with a target of 95 per cent of patients being seen in this time-frame.

David
Behan, commission chief executive, said it was 'disappointing' that
patients were having to wait longer than they did four years ago.

He
said: 'People should be seen, diagnosed, treated and admitted or
discharged as quickly as possible and this is an issue that trusts need
to urgently tackle.'

The comments below have not been moderated.

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How about putting the drunks to the very bottom of the list in A E.If they are not seen quickly enough on friday night to start their saturday night,tough!

bedford
,

Leighton Buzzard,
07/12/2012 09:02

With open borders it will only get worse, it’s probably time to get some first aid lessons, because where health is concerned, unless you’re dying, you’re on your own.

pete99
,

Northamptonshire, United Kingdom,
07/12/2012 08:55

Ill throw it out there I reckon the average wait time is 6 hours actually

scarah
,

London, United Kingdom,
07/12/2012 08:43

Broomfield hospital Essex………………………………… 13 hours waiting ……………….100% true…

F H
,

Sad Britain…,
07/12/2012 08:43

Another few million coming next month!

nev496
,

Milton Keynes,
07/12/2012 08:42

Some people don’t know what A (accident) and E (emergency) mean they think hah let’s go there instead of the GP’s. same with the Ambulance service THEY ARE NOT A TAXI SERVICE, they are for life threatening conditions not little injuries such as a sore finger. Wake up people

helen
,

ormskirk,
07/12/2012 08:29

Immigrants arriving in England at the rate of 15000 a day and the reduction of NHS beds and nurses, I’d have thought this would be expected. It’s not rocket science although to our Members of Parliament it must seem so.

noddy
,

Bourne,
07/12/2012 08:19

My mum was rushed to AE in the early hours on a Sunday morning. Waited hours and hours ! Why? Because of all the idiots that drink themselves into a life threatening state and expect immediate treatment. Usually have a drunk and abusive friend come along for the ride.

rosbif
,

Evian, France,
07/12/2012 08:17

Agreed some people use it as a doctor’s surgery which is grossly wrong, BUT like me with a stranglulated hernia need urgent attention. This Government and the NHS powers that be should stop closing A E’s like Wycombe General, which they have just done, causing the Stoke Mandeville A E to be utterly full to overflowing. Wish I had taken a picture of it on Monday 26th when I had an appointment and tried to get to the toilet located in A E, WOW standing room only, then I should have sent it to the PM and said look what you idiots have done !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pity the poor nurses and Doctors, they can’t possibly cope with this added influx that should have gone to Wycombe, had it still be open !!!!!!!!

GJS
,

Aylesbury, United Kingdom,
07/12/2012 08:14

When my mother had a stroke she was kept waiting in AE for 6 1/2 hours. I told the hospital before she arrived that she had probably had a stroke. The NHS websites says….

A stroke is a medical emergency that requires immediate medical attention. The sooner somebody who is having a stroke gets urgent medical attention, the better their chances of a good recovery.

She is now seriously and permanently brain damaged.

ian
,

swindon,
07/12/2012 08:13

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