Mid Cheshire Hospitals Trust in bottom six for A&E waiting times

Latest statistics have placed Mid Cheshire Hospitals Trust in the bottom six in England for hitting A&E waiting time targets, says a report.

It says the trust – which runs Leighton Hospital – only managed to ensure 59.9% of patients in A&E were admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours of arrival in May.

The NHS target for such A&E waiting times is 95% of patients.

The trust did show a month-on-month improvement, as its April figure was even lower at 55.8%.

The North West was the most affected area in May, with four of the 10 lowest-performing trusts in England.

Mid Cheshire is the sixth lowest performing  in those two months, while neighbouring East Cheshire NHS Trust was the second lowest-performing with just 54.8% of patients seen within the four-hour mark in May.

That’s a 1% drop from its April figures.

Performance has declined in England year-on-year, as overall figures in May 2021 showed 83.7% of patients were seen within the 4-hour mark, while this dropped to 73% in May 2022.

The “Been Let Down” report, from medical negligence team at Bond Turner, analysed latest A&E performance statistics for 111 NHS Trusts.

In total, 99% of hospital trusts in England are not meeting the 95% A&E waiting time targets.

For Type 1 (Major A&E) attendances, figures fall even lower, with 76.3% of patients seen within four hours in May 2021 compared to 60.2% in May 2022.

Attendance at A&Es has grown by 5% year-on-year, which could be one of the causes behind the drop in performance since May 2021.

The lowest-performing trust in May was North West Anglia NHS Trust, in the East of England, with just 54.7% of patients seen within the four-hour target.

In May 2022, the 10 NHS Trusts with lowest percentage of patients seen within four-hour A&E target:

1. North West Anglia – East (54.7% in May, compared to 57.9% last month)
2. East Cheshire NHS Trust – North West (54.8% this month vs 55.8% last month)
3. Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust – South West (57.6% vs 58% last month)
4. West Hertfordshire NHS Trust – East (58.2% vs 62.1%)
5. Countess of Chester – North West (59.1% vs 57.4%)
6. Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – North West (59.9% vs 55.8%)
7. Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust – London (60.5% vs 60.4%)
8. Bolton NHS Foundation Trust – North West (61.50% vs 58.4%)
9. The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn, NHS Foundation Trust – East (62.2% vs 61%)
10. University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust – Midlands (62.5% vs 62.5%)

Overall in England, just 73% of patients were seen within four hours off attending A&E in May 2022.

The situation seems to have worsened when comparing figures to this time last year.

In May 2021, overall performance figures showed 83.7% of patients were seen within the four-hour target, while this was the case for 76.3% of those in Major A&E.

Neil Crossley, Head of Clinical Negligence at Been Let Down, said: “Despite the efforts of NHS staff, the situation surrounding waiting times in A&E departments continues to be a concern, with some areas of the country ending up especially affected.

“While some slight improvements have been made in the past month, the operational standard is unfortunately still not being met across the country.

“The vast majority of NHS Trusts are not able to admit, transfer or discharge patients arriving at A&E departments within four hours.

“Not only can long delays mean the departments will become overcrowded and cause patients to wait in uncomfortable conditions, but they are continuously putting patients’ health at risk, and can sometimes cause very serious consequences despite all the efforts of healthcare professionals.

“For patients in need of urgent care, every single minute matters.”

We have contacted Mid Cheshire Hospital Trust for their comments and are awaiting a reply.