Shropshire hospitals still missing A&E target time

NHS England figures show 87.9 per cent of patients, who go through the doors of the two hospitals run by Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust, were seen within the Government's target time during the week up to March 1.

It is slightly down on last week's figure of 89.1 per cent and is the 23rd week in a row that the trust, which runs the A&E departments at the Princess Royal in Telford and the Royal Shrewsbury, has missed the Government's target of 95 per cent of patients to be seen within four hours.

The figure remains an improvement on some of the numbers seen since Christmas when A&E units were stretched to breaking point and is higher than the England average of 87 per cent.

Shropshire's two A&Es saw 2,137 people in the week leading up to March 1 – the latest figures available. That number is up by 150 on the week before. Of those people, 455 were admitted.

The 87.9 per cent figure equates to 258 people waiting longer than four hours to be seen, treated, admitted or discharged at the A&E units. That figure is up by 42 on the previous week and just the England average of 257.

The national percentage figure, according to the new statistics, is 87 per cent – down from 87.7 per cent the week before, meaning the Shropshire trust has bucked the English trend.

There are currently just 22 hospital trusts in the country meeting the 95 per cent gold standard, with 118 major A&E trusts missing it, including Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust.

Nationally, it is the 22nd week in succession that the goal of 95 per cent has been missed.

Meanwhile, a report from the Nuffield Trust think-tank says too much emphasis has been put on the target of seeing A&E patients within four hours.

The report claims the care system is "near breaking point" but the reasons for its problems are complex and not well understood.