Waiting times at A&E units hit nine-year high

The monitoring report from healthcare charity watchdog The King's Fund showed that, nationally, from February to April 5.9 per cent of patients, or 313,000 people, waited four hours or longer in A&E.

The figure is at its highest level since 2004. Government targets state that 95 per cent of patients must wait no longer than four hours in an accident and emergency ward at any hospital.

Nearly 40 per cent of trusts across the country reported breaching the target in the last quarter of 2012/13 – including the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust.

Nearly 15 per cent of patients, or 3,777 people, had to wait longer than the four-hour target to be seen at either the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital or Telford's Princess Royal from February to April.

The number has nearly doubled compared to the same time period the previous year, when seven per cent of patients, or 1,923 people, were left waiting too long at the two hospitals.

But bosses at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust said a number of internal ward moves and the hard work of staff had resulted in a big improvement in the county over the past month. Beds have been reallocated at RSH and "escalation wards", opened to provide extra capacity during busy times at the two hospitals over the winter have been made permanent.

Ian Donnelly, assistant chief operating officer for the trust, said in May the hospitals achieved the gold standard of 95 per cent of patients being seen within four hours for the first time in nearly two years.

He added: "We cannot underestimate what a significant achievement this is and how important it is for ensuring our patients are not waiting longer than they should. This has been achieved thanks to the efforts of our staff and as a result of a number of internal ward moves that we implemented at the end of April, although it must be said that the number of patients needing acute medical care has also dropped slightly in recent weeks.

"The improvement we have seen in the last few weeks give us plenty to build on, and we must keep up the momentum."

John Appleby, chief economist at The King's Fund, said the 'worryingly high' numbers of patients waiting longer than four hours in the last quarter of 2012/13 was a "clear warning" the health system was under severe strain.