Shropshire hospitals hope to employ more junior doctors to ease A&E pressure

The government sets targets for every hospital in the country for 95 per cent of patients to be seen in less than four hours.

Last month 81.6 per cent of patients at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Telford's Princess Royal Hospital were dealt with in the time period.

This compares to 75.8 per cent in February, according to figures due to be presented to the board of Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust ( SATH) tomorrow.

The pressure on Shropshire's A&E departments has led to a number of cancelled operations throughout the winter months.

Simon Wright, chief executive of the hospitals, said they were working on making sure operations are not faced with disruption.

He said: "A lot of very good work is being done to get the surgical programme back on track and our A&E performance has improved.

"The hospital is very busy doing a lot of great work to improve care.

"We have employed four additional GPs and want more junior doctors to help in A&E.

"We are working with other hospitals to secure more consultants as the constant rota is still a real challenge for us.

"We are working with colleagues in primary care so patients can access GPs when they need to instead of coming to A&E.

"Also we are working with care homes around the topic of fluid management so people do not get dehydrated and have to go to A&E."

Last week it was announced that SATH was to get a £1 million funding boost from the government in a bid to help ease pressure on their A&E departments this winter.

The investment was announced by the Department of Health, and will see £55.98 million of a total £100 million of A&E capital funding used to ease pressure on emergency departments in time for winter to prevent them reaching crisis point.

The capital funding was originally outlined in the spring budget by the Chancellor Philip Hammond.

SATH is one of 70 hospitals and NHS trusts to be awarded a slice of the money.

The funding will be used by hospitals to meet the 95 per cent standard of admitting, transferring, or discharging patients within four hours by ensuring patients are treated in the right place.

The plans outlined by trusts include primary care streaming and putting GP practices within A&E departments to ensure patients.

This latest investment is one part of the A&E plan being implemented across the NHS this year in an attempt to get performance to 95 per cent during 2018.

Mr Wright said: "We are delighted to secure the investment for the population.

"It will allow us to have front-line streaming to help with the pressures."