WORCESTERSHIRE Liberal Democrats are calling for action from Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust after latest figures reveal that 21.8 per cent of patients who attended A&E had to wait at least 12 hours before receiving treatment.
The data released last week by NHS England shows that Worcestershire hospitals were ranked the fifth worst in the country during December 2024.
Parliamentary spokesperson for West Worcestershire, Councillor Dan Boatright-Greene, said: “Another winter, another year of terrifying under-performance in our hospitals. When people need treatment the most, we should not be waiting over 12 hours to be seen by a medical professional.
“The government has committed to £2.45 billion of extra spending in the NHS next year but it is clear that after 14 years of Conservative mismanagement we need a clear plan of action to tackle the backlog, not just on our waiting lists but in our emergency care.
“Just this week I have reports from residents left waiting for ambulances, others stuck in corridors for hours and too many not able to receive the care they desperately need. It is time for our local trust to show action.”
These latest statistics come on the back of a report in November by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) when inspectors said that urgent and emergency care services at Worcestershire Royal Hospital required improvement.
Stephen Collman, managing director of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust which is rated as “requires improvement” apologised to anyone who had experienced lengthy waits.
He said: “Our teams are continuing to work hard, alongside our partners across the wider health and care system, to reduce the pressure on ED [emergency department] and ensure patients get the care they need.
“Our continued focus remains on creating enough beds for urgent admissions while also minimising the impact on patients attending for planned procedures, in particular for cancer patients.”
The trust he said was increasing the use of its same day emergency care services, which he claimed would free up more beds for patients who need to be admitted and an additional 25-bed ‘winter ward’ at Worcestershire Royal Hospital had now been created.
He also said it was making sure that those patients who no longer need acute hospital care get back home as quickly as possible.
Mr Collman urged the public to use NHS 111 to receive free urgent care advice before attending emergency departments, and to only use 999 in a life-threatening emergency.
“Unless you attend with a genuine life-threatening emergency, it is likely that you will either be redirected to a more appropriate service or face a very long wait in the department,” he said.
He recommended the use local minor injuries units across Worcestershire in Evesham, Malvern, Kidderminster, Bromsgrove and Tenbury for wounds, minor burns and sprains as patients would face “much shorter waiting times.”
