Hospital trust responds to missing A&E waiting time target
Bosses at the trust that runs the county's main hospitals have responded to news that A&E waiting times were ranked second worst in the country.
In September, 70.4 per cent of patients at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust were treated or admitted within four hours of arriving at the A&Es in the county, according to figures from NHS England. The target is 95 per cent.
The trust also missed its target for cancer care, but it did hit the target in planned operations.
Sara Biffen, deputy chief operating officer at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said the A&E departments remain "under a great deal of pressure".
She said: “It is pleasing to see that, in August, 92.5 per cent of our patients received planned operations or planned care within 18 weeks of being referred to us – above the 92 per cent target and the national average of 87.2 per cent.
“This is a testament to the hard work of our staff and I would like to thank them for their continued efforts.
“We know that our performance against the A&E target is not where we want it to be, but our first priority is to ensure our patients are treated safely and appropriately.
“Our A&E departments remain under a great deal of pressure, dealing with increasing attendances and more and more complex conditions, such as respiratory problems, which mean more people are being admitted into our hospitals.
“The challenges we face in our A&Es are well known and require a long-term strategic solution. In the meantime, we continue to work with our partners both in the NHS and in social care so that those patients who no longer need the specialist care we provide can leave our hospitals in a safe and timely manner.
“Although our referral to treatment for cancer patients fell below the 85 per cent target in August, from 86.4 per cent in July, we still performed better than the national average of 79.4 per cent and will continue to work hard to maintain our performance in this area.”
