More than a third of A&E patients were not treated within four hours at England’s worst-performing casualty unit last month, NHS figures show.
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals processed 62.9 per cent of its patients within the target time – the lowest figure recorded in the country.
Five other trusts, including ones in Birmingham, Lincolnshire and Leicestershire also dropped below the 70 per cent mark in October.
Data from the health service yesterday revealed last month was the worst on record for emergency department performance.
Across England one in six patients needing urgent care had to wait more than four hours for it, as only 83.6 per cent of people were treated within the target time.
Experts warned the NHS, already struggling from a busy summer, was heading for one of the ‘bleakest winters’ in its history.
Hospital bosses say huge increases in patient numbers are clogging up their A&E departments, among them patients who don’t need to be there and who face long waits because they aren’t urgent cases.
NHS statistics have revealed a geographical breakdown of how A&E departments are faring across the country – some in Norfolk, Lincolnshire and Shropshire recorded the worst figures for England
Yesterday the general secretary of the UNISON union, Dave Prentis, said: ‘Patients left in agony on trolleys for hours and poorly visitors waiting for hours in A&E, forced to sit on floors because of a lack of chairs, has become the new normal.
‘Years of underfunding and an endless staffing crisis show the Conservatives are simply not fit to run our NHS.
‘These are the worst ever A&E figures yet the winter has barely begun. It’s a shocking state of affairs and should be of huge concern to every one of us.’
The statistics showed people attended A&E departments 2,170,510 times in October – 70,016 visits per day – a 4.4 per cent rise from October last year.
The proportion of these seen within the NHS’s four-hour target time ranged across the country, from a low of 62.9 per cent to 97.8 per cent.
Behind Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals was United Lincolnshire Hospitals (64.2 per cent).
This was followed by Shrewsbury and Telford (64.4 per cent), University Hospitals Birmingham (66 per cent) and Stockport (66.8 per cent).
At the other end of the scale among hospitals with comparable patient numbers came Northumbria Healthcare (95.7 per cent).
It was followed by Barnsley Hospital (95.2 per cent), Homerton University Hospital in London (94 per cent), Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals (93.6 per cent) and Yeovil Distric Hospital (92.4 per cent).
A total of 40 hospitals’ performances were above average, while 77 were below. One – Whittington Health in London – was the same as the national figure.
The reasons why some hospitals’ performances are worse than other can depend on a number of things.
NHS funding, the ages and general health of local people and how populations or demand have changed since hospitals were built may all play a role.
Statistics show that as people are living longer lives and conditions like obesity and diabetes are on the rise, increasing numbers of patients have more than one serious illness which can mean it’s more difficult to treat them.
The director of operations at United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Simon Evans, said: ‘Our A&E performance is not where we want it to be and we would like to apologise for this.
‘Over recent months we have seen a significant increase in the number of very poorly patients attending at our A&Es, as well as cases of the winter vomiting bug norovirus.
‘This has coincided with a reduction in the number of patients being discharged from our hospitals, which has unfortunately resulted in long delays for some of our patients in A&E.
‘If someone comes to A&E and it is not an emergency, they may have a long wait as we will always prioritise the sickest patients. Please consider if you could be helped by visiting your local pharmacy, by contacting your GP, or attending an urgent care centre.’
Just 83.6 per cent of patients were seen within four hours in October, a record low which meant 320,000 people sat for longer while medics decided what to do with them
Nigel Lee, chief operating officer of Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said: ‘In the three months from July to September this year we saw almost 39,000 people come through the doors of our emergency departments.
‘[This is] a rise of more than 4,100 on the same period in 2018. That is the equivalent of an additional 45 people a day, every day, for three months.
‘That trend continued in October, when we saw 12,399 ED attendances – 1,135 more than in October 2018 – with 3,985 ambulance arrivals – 621 more than this time last year, and we know that this is a pattern being repeated across the country.
‘More complex cases have more complex needs which take longer to meet, but we will not compromise on patient care.’
A spokesperson for Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS trust said the trust was opening a new ward next year to cope with demand.
They said: ‘The last few months have been particularly challenging with high numbers of emergency attendances and an increase in admissions.
‘Our emergency and urgent care staff are seeing on average more than 400 patients a day and are doing the best they can to assess and treat patients as quickly as possible.’
Name of hospital trust | Percentage of A&E patients treated, discharged or admitted within 4 hours or less |
---|---|
Norfolk And Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 62.9% |
United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust | 64.2% |
Shrewsbury And Telford Hospital NHS Trust | 64.4% |
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust | 66% |
Stockport NHS Foundation Trust | 66.8% |
University Hospitals Of Leicester NHS Trust | 67% |
Bolton NHS Foundation Trust | 70% |
Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust | 70.6% |
Isle Of Wight NHS Trust | 70.9% |
Sandwell And West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust | 71.7% |
Wye Valley NHS Trust | 72.1% |
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 72.2% |
Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust | 72.4% |
Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 72.7% |
Barking, Havering And Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust | 72.9% |
Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust | 73% |
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 73.3% |
The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust | 74.2% |
St Helens And Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust | 74.3% |
Dartford And Gravesham NHS Trust | 74.7% |
Weston Area Health NHS Trust | 74.7% |
County Durham And Darlington NHS Foundation Trust | 75% |
Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 75.5% |
George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust | 75.7% |
North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust | 75.8% |
Medway NHS Foundation Trust | 76.4% |
Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 76.4% |
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust | 76.5% |
University Hospitals Of North Midlands NHS Trust | 76.7% |
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn, NHS Foundation Trust | 77.4% |
Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust | 77.4% |
University Hospitals Of Derby And Burton NHS Foundation Trust | 77.6% |
Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 77.8% |
South Tyneside And Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust | 78.3% |
Brighton And Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust | 78.4% |
Ashford And St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 78.5% |
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 78.7% |
Northern Lincolnshire And Goole NHS Foundation Trust | 78.7% |
Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 79% |
East Cheshire NHS Trust | 79.3% |
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust | 79.7% |
North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust | 79.9% |
North Bristol NHS Trust | 80% |
Warrington And Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 80% |
York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 80.4% |
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust | 80.4% |
James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 80.6% |
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 80.6% |
University Hospitals Coventry And Warwickshire NHS Trust | 80.6% |
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 80.6% |
Royal Devon And Exeter NHS Foundation Trust | 80.7% |
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 80.8% |
Taunton And Somerset NHS Foundation Trust | 80.8% |
Countess Of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 81.1% |
East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust | 81.2% |
University Hospitals Of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust | 81.2% |
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust | 81.5% |
Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust | 81.5% |
The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust | 81.6% |
Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 81.6% |
Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust | 81.7% |
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 81.9% |
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust | 82.1% |
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust | 82.1% |
Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust | 82.3% |
University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust | 82.4% |
The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 82.6% |
The Royal Bournemouth And Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 82.7% |
Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust | 82.7% |
North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust | 82.7% |
Barts Health NHS Trust | 82.7% |
Torbay And South Devon NHS Foundation Trust | 82.7% |
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 82.9% |
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust | 83.1% |
West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust | 83.1% |
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 83.1% |
St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 83.2% |
England | 83.6% |
Whittington Health NHS Trust | 83.6% |
Lewisham And Greenwich NHS Trust | 83.8% |
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust | 83.8% |
Croydon Health Services NHS Trust | 84.1% |
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 84.1% |
Calderdale And Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust | 84.2% |
East Suffolk And North Essex NHS Foundation Trust | 84.3% |
Guy’s And St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust | 84.8% |
London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust | 84.9% |
Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 85% |
Southport And Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust | 85.2% |
Airedale NHS Foundation Trust | 85.4% |
East And North Hertfordshire NHS Trust | 85.8% |
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust | 85.9% |
Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust | 86.1% |
Wrightington, Wigan And Leigh NHS Foundation Trust | 86.1% |
Epsom And St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust | 86.3% |
Tameside And Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust | 86.4% |
Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 86.6% |
Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust | 86.9% |
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust | 87% |
Bedford Hospital NHS Trust | 87.1% |
Surrey And Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust | 87.2% |
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 87.7% |
Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 88% |
Maidstone And Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust | 88.9% |
South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust | 89% |
Basildon And Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 89.8% |
Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust | 89.8% |
Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 90.1% |
Doncaster And Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 90.3% |
Harrogate And District NHS Foundation Trust | 90.4% |
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 91.5% |
Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust | 91.8% |
Birmingham Women’s And Children’s NHS Foundation Trust | 92.2% |
Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 92.4% |
The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 93.6% |
Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 94% |
Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 95.2% |
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust | 95.7% |
Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust | 97.8% |
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | N/A – trialing new system |
Luton And Dunstable University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | N/A – trialing new system |
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust | N/A – trialing new system |
Chelsea And Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | N/A – trialing new system |
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust | N/A – trialing new system |
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | N/A – trialing new system |
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust | N/A – trialing new system |
Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust | N/A – trialing new system |
North Tees And Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust | N/A – trialing new system |
The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust | N/A – trialing new system |
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust | N/A – trialing new system |
Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust | N/A – trialing new system |
Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | N/A – trialing new system |
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust | N/A – trialing new system |