New Figures Reveal Fall In Number Of Patients Seen Within Targets

The number of patients being seen at Accident and Emergency departments in hospitals across England within the designated target time of four hours has dropped to its lowest level for ten years, new figures have revealed.

NHS England data has found that 92.6 per cent of patients were seen in the four-hour timeframe between October and December last year, which is below the 95 per cent target and the lowest quarterly result since the introduction of the target.

Health secretary Jeremy Hunt stated on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that there is “a huge amount of pressure” on the NHS, adding that the figures put England above many other countries in the world.

Dr Sarah Pinto-Duchsinsky, director of operations and delivery for NHS England, added that the results were “the best measured performance of any major Western country”.

The release of the findings has come after several hospitals were forced to announce major incidents as a result of demand in their emergency departments.

Expert Opinion

Patients who attend accident and emergency departments up and down the country do so as they require urgent, timely and vital healthcare and support. As a result, it is hugely worrying to see that in a number of instances people are not being seen by medical experts within the expected timeframe. <br/> <br/>"Through our work, we have seen numerous cases when people have suffered serious illness and injury as a result of them not receiving timely treatment, with this not only affecting victims but their friends, families and communities as a whole. <br/> <br/>"This issue raises major concerns in terms of the quality of healthcare available to many communities and it is vital that the Government continues to work with the NHS to ensure that medical professionals are equipped and able to provide a high standard of quality, safe care to those who need it the most." Lisa Jordan - Partner