number of failing A&Es have doubled in last year

Posted: September 22, 2013

Posted in: Medical Negligence 

Since this time last year, the number of NHS England trusts failing to meet A&E waiting time targets have more than doubled. Between April and June of last year, 13 hospital trusts were unable to meet their target waiting time of four hours. Between April and June of this year, however, this figure has risen to 31 hospital trusts failing to meet targets.  Although the Department of Health said that A&Es were able to see 95% of patients within this time, the Monitor’s report warned that this ongoing problem could result in generally “unsatisfactory care”.

The regulator’s report draws on the trends found in individual reports from England’s 146 foundation trusts. From this, they have raised concerns that where services usually improve during the spring and summer months, they have instead remained challenging.  

Preparing for the winter months

It has warned that trusts should start preparing for the winter months by securing the right funding. Jason Dorsett, Monitor’s financial risk and reporting director, said that the increased demand on hospital trusts has meant that planned financial savings have been hard to stick to. She said: “We expect to see trusts planning now for how the increased demand will impact on their finances, so that they are not storing up trouble for the future.”

Labour has commented extensively on the problems within England’s hospital trusts, saying that unless the government addresses staffing and social care issues, A&E units are to expect “severe storms”.

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