A&E service unacceptable
Posted: February 19, 2015
Posted in: Medical Negligence
Recently released figures have revealed that the number of people who spent over 12 hours in A&E in Wales is the highest since records began in 2012. The figures, which were released in January, highlighted that the waiting time problem had affected over 3,000 patients. A Welsh government spokesman defended the service provided by emergency units, saying that there had been a rapid increase in patient numbers.
The figures revealed that a total of 73,199 people attended accident and emergency departments across Wales last month. The figure of 82.3% is an increase from the 81% in December, but it is still below the 95% Welsh government target. The stats refer to the time taken until admission and the time taken for transfer or discharge, not just the time taken for them to be seen.
“system-wide change”
The Welsh government spokesman highlighted that even though there has been a great increase in demand across A&E departments, the latest figures for January show that eight out of ten patients spent less than four hours in A&E units from arrival to admission.
He continued: “However, the number of patients waiting over 12 hours is unacceptable. We expect health boards to work with local authorities and other partners to ensure that patients can be treated, admitted and discharged appropriately and receive safe and effective care.”
Director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, Helen Birtwhistle, said that a “system-wide change” is definitely needed in emergency treatment.
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