NHS England data reveals how long patients wait for treatment

New figures from NHS England show casualty departments across England had one of their worst months in July, with record numbers of patients enduring long waiting times for medical care.

Health leaders said there had been a record number of urgent ambulance call-outs in July, as well as challenges to free up hospital beds due to delays in discharging patients to social care providers.

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Dr Tim Cooksley, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said it is essential the number of patients waiting for prolonged periods for urgent care does not become the “new normal”.

He said: “Warnings have been issued for many years about the growing crisis across the NHS and in social care and the reality is that we are now at a pivotal moment.

“Patients continue to experience overcrowding in acute care settings with flow throughout the system impaired, and this will have grave consequences as we move through the year.

“We are seeing worse outcomes due to the length of time patients are stuck in emergency departments and acute medical units (AMUs), and paramedics are routinely unable to transfer their patients into hospitals and get back on the road.

“Long-term workforce and capacity plans with short-term mitigations are essential to alleviate the current crisis.”

University Hospital of North Durham. Picture: NORTHERN ECHO

The figures showed 69 per cent of arrivals at hospitals in County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95 per cent.

Nine per cent of patients, 1,948 people, waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit.

Separate NHS Digital data reveals that in June the median average time for treatment was two hours and 40 minutes and around eight per cent of patients left before being treated.

Durham City MP Mary Foy

Durham City MP Mary Foy said: “The latest A&E waiting times figures make clear how disgracefully neglected the NHS has become under the Tories' watch.

“In County Durham 31 per cent of patients are waiting over four hours for treatment.

“Not only is this worse than the national average, but under this Government's watch the five per cent target has not been met since 2015.

“Week after week, more patients are learning that the longer the Conservative are left to cause chaos in the health service, the longer they will have to wait for treatment."

In July, at South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 79 people were delayed by more than 12 hours.

The study revealed 68 per cent of arrivals were seen within four hours and 1,238 patients, eight per cent, waited longer than four hours.

The median average time to treatment in June was two hours and 15 minutes and around six per cent of patients left before being treated.

Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald

Andy McDonald, MP for Middlesbrough, said: “Like every hospital across the country, James Cook University Hospital has been operating at unprecedented levels since the Covid pandemic started.

“I know from my regular meetings with South Tees NHS Foundation Trust just how hard the staff have worked and continue to work under sustained, extreme pressure. 

“Understandably, pressures are still high and waiting times in accident and emergency departments and access to regular GP appointments remain an issue.

“I will be talking with the trust in the near future to discuss what measures are being put in place to alleviate these pressures and as always, I will continue to lobby this Government to properly fund our NHS.” 

County Durham and Teesside Conservative MPs did not respond the Northern Echo’s request for comment.

The study also showed 24 people waited more than 12 hours at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust in last month.

Figures show 421 patients, three per cent, waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit.

The median average time to treatment in June was two hours and 15 minutes and around six per cent of patients left before being treated.

At the Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust just one person was kept waiting 12 hours in July.

The study shows 79 per cent of arrivals were seen within four hours but 364 patients, two per cent, waited longer than four hours for treatment.

The median average time to treatment was an hour and six per cent of patients left before being treated.

Executive chief nurse for the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board, David Purdue, said: "No one wants a long wait in A&E, and we are doing all we can to keep waiting times as low as possible, as well as reducing waiting lists for surgery and other treatments.

“Staff across the region are working incredibly hard to care for patients and we would like to thank them for all they do.

“While we continue to be above the national average for A&E waiting times, we recognise that there is variation across the region and we are not where we would want to be.

“However, we have seen unprecedented demand with our region's emergency departments treating more than 136,000 patients during July, and recent events like the heatwave have also had an impact on demand for services.

“People with respiratory conditions often struggle during very hot weather, especially if this impacts on air quality or the pollen count.

“We'd like to thank our communities for their support and patience.

“You can help us by keeping emergency departments for urgent and emergency treatment by thinking pharmacy, GP and 111 first, and keeping 999 and A&E for life-threatening conditions only.”

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