The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Show reviews
  • Music
    • Live music
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

Current affairsNews

A&E surplus makes waiting times worst in a decade

A&E surplus makes waiting times worst in a decade
4 June 2013
Aastha Gill
Avatar
Aastha Gill
4 June 2013

Hundreds of patients are being forced to wait more than four hours as the NHS continues to struggle with target A&E waiting times, according to an official NHS data revealed on Friday.

Figures released by the Department of Health show 32 out of 88 NHS hospitals fail to treat accident patients within four hours of arrival.

Over the last year there has been an approximate 250% rise in the number of patients being made to wait four hours or more. Indeed, this year 3,325 patients were forced to wait longer than four hours compared to 13,081 patients last year with patients at hospitals in Coventry, Warwickshire, Wrexham and Bath reportedly being the most affected by long waiting times.

The mounting figures have been blamed on deep cuts to council care budgets and the reorganisation of NHS services that has taken place in recent few weeks, which has lead to severe cuts to frontline staff and A&E closures.

Commenting on the falling targets, Dr Peter Carter, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “With fewer nurses and rising demand, emergency departments are now at a risk of being overwhelmed. The chaotic closure of NHS Direct also risks sending more patients to A&E unnecessarily. This situation could become very dangerous over the coming months.”

The revelation also coincides with the introduction of the 111 non-emergency phone number service, which has already been blamed for increasing the number of emergency call-outs and trips to A&E.

A spokesman for NHS England stated: “We are taking action to help improve performance in the future. There will be fines where there are delays of 30 minutes or more in ambulance handovers and we have set a minimum standard so that no patient should experience long trolley waits.”

Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham commented: “We have repeatedly warned Jeremy Hunt about the intense pressures on A&E and urged him to get a grip. His failure to face up to this problem cannot continue.”

Aastha Gill

Related Items

More in Current Affairs

Women of Ireland have rolled over for long enough: The 8th and the long walk to abortion rights

Emma Kiely
Read More

Changes to expect during menopause

The editorial unit
Read More

Why Equity Linked Savings Schemes is a preferred tax saving?

The editorial unit
Read More

How the world’s top designers would rebrand political parties

The editorial unit
Read More

Royal baby furore: Proof that the British monarchy is still popular?

Eoin O’Sullivan-Harris
Read More

World Mental Health Day 2018: Raising awareness and combating stigma

The editorial unit
Read More

Seven political personalities you should know about

The editorial unit
Read More

Donald Trump: An enemy of the arts?

The editorial unit
Read More

Trump’s fortune: Where did the money come from?

The editorial unit
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap
  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Ed Sheeran at Wembley Stadium
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Eagles bring a nostalgia-laden evening to the BST Festival in Hyde Park
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • 50 Next: London chef Santiago Lastra recognised in Bilbao as one of the 50 young people shaping the future of gastronomy
    Food & Drinks
  • Only Murders in the Building: Season Two
    ★★★★★
    disney
  • Tigers
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Chelsea Flower Show 2022: Greenery and wellbeing
    Fashion & Lifestyle
  • Minions: The Rise of Gru
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • The Baby
    ★★★★★
    sky
  • Nitram
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • The Rollings Stones give Glasto a run for its money at BST Festival in Hyde Park
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Minions: The Rise of Gru
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • The Rollings Stones give Glasto a run for its money at BST Festival in Hyde Park
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • “He used to spit at the audience, roll on the ground, he did, in fact, hump that plastic dog – he was the original punk rocker”: Baz Luhrman, Tom Hanks, Austin Butler, Olivia DeJonge and Alton Mason on Elvis
    Cinema & Tv
  • Eagles bring a nostalgia-laden evening to the BST Festival in Hyde Park
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Ed Sheeran at Wembley Stadium
    ★★★★★
    Live music
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why
With the support from:
International driving license

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Protests continue in Istanbul
GCSEs facing the chop in favour of coursework-free I levels‏