Health

Worst ever NHS delays in A&E and cancer come amid huge spike in norovirus and flu cases


PATIENTS are facing record A&E delays – with every hospital in England missing the key four-hour target for the first time.

The number of sick Brits abandoned on trolleys also hit a new high last month as swamped trusts were overwhelmed.

 Not a single A&E department hit the four-hour target for seeing patients for the first time

1

Not a single A&E department hit the four-hour target for seeing patients for the first timeCredit: Getty – Contributor

Official data shows a quadrupling in desperately ill patients waiting more than 12 hours for a hospital bed – with 1,112 stuck in corridors and side-rooms, up from 259 the previous year.

And a record 88,923 people faced at least a four hour delay before being allowed on to a ward.

It is 64 per cent higher than the same month last year when 54,373 patients were affected.

Experts warn the “worrying” data shows the NHS is at risk of breaking down ahead of winter.

Missed target

A&Es should treat at least 95 per cent of patients within four hours.

But the figure fell to 81.4 per cent in November, the lowest performance since records began in 2004.

Nuffield Trust chief executive Nigel Edwards said: “Returning to Downing Street, Boris Johnson has been met by an immediate reminder of the grim winter his Government faces in the English NHS.

“The November figures show the number of patients waiting on trolleys is at its highest level ever.

“For the first time, not one single major A&E department in England met the current four-hour waiting time target.”

Breaking point

Richard Murray, Chief Executive of The King’s Fund, said: “Winter has only just begun, and the NHS is already stretched to breaking point.”

The Conservatives have promised annual NHS budget rises of 3.4 per cent, giving the health service £149 billion by 2024.

Winter has only just begun, and the NHS is already stretched to breaking point

Richard MurrayChief Executive of The King’s Fund

And Boris Johnson also gave voters a “cast-iron guarantee” he will have a long-term plan for social care in place within five years.

The number of people waiting for non-urgent treatment, such as knee and hip replacements, reached its highest-ever level – nearing 4.5 million in October.

Winter crisis

Just 84.7 per of patients are now being seen for elective procedures within 18 weeks, against a 92 per cent target.

It is the worst performance for 11 years.

Hospitals are struggling just as cases of flu and norovirus continue to rocket.

NHS teams across the country are providing a record-breaking level of care to the increasing numbers of people

NHS spokesperson

More than 1,000 hospital beds were forced to close last week due to the winter vomiting bug – twice as many as the same time last year.

And flu cases have soared by 25 per cent in just a week.

An NHS spokesperson said: “These figures show that NHS teams across the country are providing a record-breaking level of care to the increasing numbers of people, at a time when norovirus and flu is having a greater impact on local services than last year.”

A record number of patients also have had their planned operations cancelled at the last minute.

NHS England data shows 20,963 non-urgent procedures – such as hip or knee procedures – were put back by hospitals across England in the three months to September.

The cancellations were for non-clinical reasons including staff shortages and a lack of beds.

The figure is up 13 per cent from 18,568 in the same three-month period the previous year – and the worst since records began.





READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.