Patients across England faced huge delays in major A&E departments in December, as the NHS winter crisis continues to impact the nation’s hospitals. Almost half of all arrivals at major “Type 1” A&Es took more than four hours from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge, according to the latest NHS figures released this week.
That’s up from 43 per cent in November, but is lower than the 45.3 per cent in December 2023 and 50.4 per cent in December 2022, the highest on record for any month. According to the latest data, University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust – responsibe for the Royal Stoke and County Hospital was ranked 157th out of 188 trusts in England for waiting times.
Things were particularly bad at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, where almost two thirds (64.3 per cent) of all arrivals at Type 1 A&Es had to wait over four hours. At Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust it was 63.7 per cent and at North Tees And Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust it was 62.4 per cent.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people had to spend more than half a day waiting for a bed. A total of 54,207 attendances at A&Es in December had to wait over 12 hours from decision to admit to admission.
That’s the third highest total on record and is up from 44,045 people in December 2023, but below the peak of 54,573 in December 2022. A total of 1,894 arrivals at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust had to wait over 12 hours, which is more than at any trust in England.
More than half of arrivals at North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust had to wait over 12 hours, however, which is the highest proportion in the country. The NHS experienced one of its busiest Decembers on record, with a total of 2.35 million attending A&Es across England.
More than half of those (1.44 million) were at major “Type 1” A&E departments, which are consultant-led 24-hour service with full resuscitation facilities and designated accommodation for the reception of accident and emergency patients. One area where things are improving, however, is with NHS waiting lists.
Keir Starmer unveiled his plans to reduce waiting lists on Monday. His announcement comes as waiting lists fell for a third consecutive month in November, with 7.47 million now waiting to start treatment. That’s 61,000 fewer than in October.
The number on the waiting list for over a year also fell, with 221,889 now waiting for over 52 weeks. It means just three per cent of those on the waiting list have been there for over a year, down from the post Covid outbreak peak of 8.8% back in March 2021.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS National Medical Director, said: “It is clear that hospitals are under exceptional pressure at the start of this new year, with mammoth demand stemming from this ongoing cold weather snap and respiratory viruses like flu – all on the back of 2024 being the busiest year on record for A&E and ambulance teams.
“I never fail to be impressed by the remarkable job that NHS staff across a range of services in the face of current challenges, remaining compassionate, professional and doing everything they can to see patients as quickly as possible while often working in hospitals that are full to bursting. It is hard to quantify just through the data how tough it is for frontline staff at the moment – with some staff working in A&E saying that their days at work feel like some of the days we had during the height of the pandemic.
“That hard work and resilience from staff, alongside vital tools like surgical hubs and community diagnostic centres that keep planned care isolated from winter pressure, meant the waiting list fell again in November to 7.48 million, with the NHS delivering 5% more activity than the same period pre-pandemic.
“As the incredibly busy winter continues and hospitals clearly experience intense pressure, please do continue to only use 999 and A&E in life-threatening emergencies and use NHS 111 and 111 online for other conditions, as well as using your local GP and pharmacy services in the usual way.”
Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting said: “In the past 6 months, we have ended the junior doctors’ strikes so staff are on the front line not the picket line for the first winter in 3 years, and introduced the new RSV vaccine. But despite the best efforts of staff, patients are still receiving unacceptable standards of care.
“Although this winter’s campaign vaccinated more people than last winter, this strain of flu has hit hard, putting more than three times as many patients into hospital compared to this time last year. Annual winter pressures should not mean an annual winter crisis, which is why this government is making significant investment in the NHS, undertaking fundamental reform, and acting now to improve social care. It will take time to turn the NHS around, but the fact that waiting lists are now falling shows that change is possible.”
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