The latest combined performance figures published by NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE/I) reveal the worst performance against the four-hour standard on record as every major A&E department failed to meet the waiting target. The number of people waiting for routine surgery and treatment also increased to 4.4 million.
Responding to the figures, the Director of Policy and Strategy at NHS Providers, Miriam Deakin says: “We are facing a very tough winter. The question now is how severe and what toll it will take on patient care and staff."
The statistics show there were 2.1 million attendances at A&E departments in November - that's a 5.2% rise from the same point last year. NHSE/I has also published the first week of winter reporting data. 94.9% of general and acute beds were occupied. Delayed Transfers of Care (DTOC) increased by 4%, with the main reasons for delay being patients awaiting care package at home.
“The first week of formal winter reporting already shows emergency care is under significant pressure. Hospital beds are as full as they were for nearly every week of last winter, and the delays in handing over patients from ambulances tell a similar story.
“It is clear we’ve seen an early spike in flu, while others have been battling norovirus cases, which are already double the levels we saw last year. This potent mix coming up against an already overstretched service will mean tough choices over winter. While systems are coming together and have prepared extensively, without additional social care places and community-based care the pressure on NHS services will continue to rise.
“An extremely difficult winter for the NHS will be one of the immediate challenges facing the new government. We need to be realistic and honest about what needs to be done to close the capacity gaps that have been allowed to open up in the workforce, services and beds.
“We need to see answers to some of the big questions ducked in this election campaign - that means putting social care on a sustainable footing, acting immediately to reduce staff vacancies and ensuring the NHS has the investment it needs for its infrastructure to meet the needs of the population of the 21st century.”
