Massive leap in number of patients enduring long waits for hospital beds
There has been a huge jump in the number of patients enduring long waits on trolleys while a hospital bed is found for them, figures show.
Data from NHS England shows the number of patients waiting more than 12 hours in England’s A&E departments increased by 10,546% in five years across the coldest months.
Quarterly figures for January to March 2012 show that just 15 patients waited more than 12 hours for a bed.
This was after doctors decided they needed to be admitted – and comes on top of any time they spent in casualty waiting to be seen.
In January to March this year, this figure had jumped to 1,597 – the highest on record.
Trolley waits refer to people put on trolleys or chairs, sometimes in side rooms, while a bed is found for them in the hospital.
The data showed thousands enduring long waits of four hours or more on a trolley after a decision was made to admit them.
In January to March 2012, 40,022 people waited more than four hours, rising to 177,012 for the same period in 2017 – a 342% rise.
The NHS target is for 95% of patients to be discharged, transferred or admitted into hospital for treatment within four hours.
Dr Taj Hassan, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, which analysed the data, said: “The figures show just how bad waiting times have become for patients in depths of winter.
“Patients should not have to endure such long waits, particularly in colder conditions when frail patients are more vulnerable.
“This huge increase is unacceptable and shows that despite planning for winter every year, we have consistently failed to do enough.
“Winter last year was relatively mild and without a major outbreak of flu.
“There are indications that the flu vaccine will not be as successful this year and as such we anticipate that conditions will be even more difficult this winter.”
Dr Hassan said the long waits are due to “exit block” and problems with the flow of patients through the hospital, with thousands of people every year delayed in leaving hospital due to problems arranging social care in the community.
Dr Hassan said the College thinks the NHS needs around 5,000 extra beds, “which will help reduce bed occupancy levels and enable patients to be admitted more swiftly.
“Over the last five years there has been a continued reduction in bed numbers yet an increase in patients needing to be admitted.
“As a result, bed occupancy is now at 92% – significantly higher than the safe level of 85% – which is having a knock-on effect on waiting times.
“There can be little doubt that patients are suffering the consequences of this reduction. Along with more doctors, we desperately need more beds to stop the system from grinding to a halt.”
The College said there has also been an increase in 12-hour waits in the spring months – a time when pressures traditionally start to ease.
From April to June 2012, two patients were kept waiting for more than 12 hours, but this figure was 311 in 2017.
Dr Hassan said: “It is deeply concerning that there has also been a huge increase in the spring months and shows that our problems are not just limited to winter.
“These figures also cannot fully reflect the poor experience some of our patients are having, despite the best efforts of staff.
“It is notable that the time is measured from when a decision to admit is made, not from when the patient arrives. The actual time patients are waiting is likely to be much longer.
“Without extra beds, we will continue to see winter levels of performance all year round and patient care will suffer.”
Pauline Philip, the NHS’s national director for urgent and emergency care, said: “NHS staff work hard to see every patient as swiftly as they can and any delay is regrettable but those waiting for 12 hours or more represent just 0.028% of the 5,646,725 people who attended accident and emergency departments in the first three months of the year.”
A Department of Health spokesman said: “No patient should have to endure lengthy waits in hospital which is why we’ve given A&E departments an extra £100 million of additional funding to support the NHS’s robust plans ahead of winter, and £2 billion of social care funding.
“However, this analysis completely overlooks the continued rise in demand on A&Es and the fact that since 2010, hardworking NHS staff are treating 1,800 more patients within four hours each day and are seeing 2.8 million more people each year.”
Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2017, All Rights Reserved. Picture (c) Chris Radburn / PA Wire.
