Figures have shown that accident and emergency (A&E) units across the UK are finding it hard to hit waiting time targets as winter takes hold.
The number of demands placed on the NHS typically increase during colder months as a result of illnesses such as flu and norovirus. But it is concerning that, with winter only just beginning, pressures on A&E departments are already reaching record highs.
Although extra money is being invested in every nation, the 4 hour waiting time targets for A&E departments is still being missed everywhere.
As it stands at the moment, data is published in different ways in each of the UK’s four nations, because each has its own management structure in place. Hospitals in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are expected to see to 95% of patients in 4 hours.
Weekly figures are released in England. The latest figures, which detail activity in the first week of December show that 91.8% of patients were seen to in the target 4 hours, which is at its worst rate since April 2013.
Data is published monthly in Wales. The latest available figures are from October and show that 84.7% of patients were seen to in the allocated time. 1 in 20 patients were left waiting for more than eight hours.
Data in Northern Ireland is even worse, with fewer than 80% of patients seen to in time during October.
Scotland’s waiting time target is slightly tougher than others and expects 98% of patients to be seen to in 4 hours. However, figures for September show less than 94% of patients were seen to in this time.
Figures recorded in the week commencing 1st December showed 436,000 visited A&E departments in the UK – almost 30,000 more than that recorded in the same week the year before. 110,000 of these patients needed to be admitted into hospital as an emergency = one of the highest figures ever recorded.
Dr Mark Porter, leader of the British Medical Association said: “Pressure on NHS services is at a critical point and cracks are beginning to appear.
“While the NHS is used to seeing a spike in demand during winter months, this year emergency departments have experienced a spring, summer and autumn crisis as well, leaving no spare capacity in hospitals as we approach winter.
“At the same time, GP surgeries are struggling to cope with unprecedented levels of demand.”
Rob Webster, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, agreed, saying pressures were “huge” across the entire system.
“While the winter brings its own challenges, our members regularly tell us that it is ‘winter all year round’ with pressures being experienced regardless of the time of year.”
However, Sarah Pinto-Duschinsky, Director of operations and delivery for NHS England said: “The NHS is pulling out all the stops, with local hospitals, ambulances, GPs, home health services and local councils all working hard to open extra beds and seven-day services using the extra winter funding.”