- 17,000 A&E patients across London wait more than 4 hours
- 15 of 19 Trusts miss the target to see 95% of patients within 4 hour target
New NHS A&E waiting time figures have revealed that 1,067 A&E patients were left waiting longer than 4 hours in Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust A&Es this Christmas. In the week before and week of Christmas 1,067 patients missed the 4 hour target. That meant that across the two weeks 25 per cent of patients were left waiting longer than 4 hours.
Labour London Wide Assembly Member Murad Qureshi AM said A&Es services across London had seen a “Christmas of crisis” and called on the Government to take urgent action to improve the situation. Across the capital only 4 of the 19 NHS Trusts with A&E departments managed to meet the Government target to see 95% of patients within 4 hours, with 17,000 patients waiting longer than the 4 hour target.
The Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust includes the A&E unit at St Mary’s Hospital serving residents in Westminster.
Responding to the new Christmas A&E waiting time figures, London Assembly Labour Member Murad Qureshi AM said:
“With 1,067 patients waiting longer than 4 hours its clear Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust A&E services have faced a Christmas of crisis as a result of the strain they are operating under. Whilst Boris and colleagues in Parliament are sitting idly by demand for A&E services is rocketing. We must of course urge patients only to resort to A&E in genuine emergencies, but with GP surgeries also being stretched it is clear we need action rather than more empty words from the Government.
“With A&E departments like St Mary’s rapidly approaching breaking point, it is lunacy that the Government is set to close more A&Es this year. Last year’s closures have resulted in 17,000 patients in London waiting longer than 4 hours over Christmas.
“Patients in Westminster are paying for years of costly reorganisation and health service closures. The Government must change course before the NHS crisis we are experiencing in Westminster becomes permanent fixture.”
| Patients who have had to wait longer than 4hours ( two weeks week ending 28/12/2014) | ||
| Hospitals Trust | No of Patients who waited longer than 4 hours | Percentage of patients waiting more than 4 hours |
| Barking, Havering And Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust | 2,041 | 25.15% |
| Barts Health NHS Trust | 2,501 | 21.70% |
| Chelsea And Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 129 | 2.85% |
| Croydon Health Services NHS Trust | 391 | 14.00% |
| Epsom And St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust | 501 | 8.85% |
| Guy’s And St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust | 359 | 7.05% |
| Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 169 | 3.80% |
| Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust | 1,067 | 25.25% |
| King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 1,682 | 21.25% |
| Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 291 | 7.70% |
| Lewisham And Greenwich NHS Trust | 1,502 | 18.80% |
| London North West Hospitals NHS Trust | 2,096 | 41.20% |
| North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust | 837 | 11.45% |
| Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust | 797 | 9.40% |
| St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust | 1,059 | 19.45% |
| The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 585 | 25.90% |
| The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust | 175 | 5.25% |
| University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 247 | 5.15% |
| West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust | 550 | 17.90% |