Leeds Teaching Hospitals amongst country’s worst performing trusts for A&E waiting times

Official figures have revealed that Accident & Emergency waiting times are at their worst level since records began, and experts are saying that many hospitals are still struggling to cope with the recent ‘eternal winter’.

29.1 per cent of Leeds Teaching Hospitals patients waited to be seen for four hours or longer last month.

The latest data received from NHS England also shows that waiting times for routine operations are at their highest since 2004.

President of the Society for Acute Medicine, Dr Nick Scriven, said “These stark figures are the clearest indication yet of the eternal winter we now face in the NHS and this should be a turning point in how we approach all planning from now on.

“As we settle into spring, hospitals remain under immense pressure and I am unsure how on earth we are going to catch up with elective surgery given some non-urgent operations continue to be cancelled in parts of the country.”

Many hospitals are finding it necessary to cancel routine operations in order to free up beds for patients arriving into A&E.

The Royal College of Surgeons’ Mr Ian Eardley, said “Despite better planning this winter and staff going above and beyond to help patients, the NHS has once again faced intense pressure.

“Having an operation or treatment cancelled is very distressing for patients, who are often in pain or discomfort, and it can cause their condition to deteriorate, potentially making treatment more complicated.”

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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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