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| NHS winter: 12-hour trolley waits hit 1,000 in January | NHS winter: 12-hour trolley waits hit 1,000 in January |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| January was one of the most difficult months on record for A&E units in England, figures have confirmed. | January was one of the most difficult months on record for A&E units in England, figures have confirmed. |
| This comes despite the mass cancellation of routine treatments to try to relieve the pressure. | This comes despite the mass cancellation of routine treatments to try to relieve the pressure. |
| The four-hour A&E target was missed for the 30th month in a row with 85.3% of patients seen in four hours, marginally better than the 85.1% in December. | The four-hour A&E target was missed for the 30th month in a row with 85.3% of patients seen in four hours, marginally better than the 85.1% in December. |
| Particular problems were experienced with trolley waits - more than 1,000 patients had to wait over 12 hours. | Particular problems were experienced with trolley waits - more than 1,000 patients had to wait over 12 hours. |
| These are the waits patients who have come to A&E face when doctors decide they need to be admitted into hospital, but they cannot find them a bed. | These are the waits patients who have come to A&E face when doctors decide they need to be admitted into hospital, but they cannot find them a bed. |
| They tend to be the most seriously-ill patients. Some 81,000 waited more than four hours for a bed - one in five of the 390,000 people who needed to be admitted. | |
| Both the four-hour and 12-hour figures for trolley waits were the worst on record - figures go back to 2010. | Both the four-hour and 12-hour figures for trolley waits were the worst on record - figures go back to 2010. |
| But this comes amid rising numbers of A&E attendances. | But this comes amid rising numbers of A&E attendances. |
| The data from NHS England shows more than two million patients came to A&E during the month, a rise of more than 5% in a year. | The data from NHS England shows more than two million patients came to A&E during the month, a rise of more than 5% in a year. |
| Health bosses said with that in mind - and the high levels of flu that have been seen, it's the worst outbreak since 2011 - the NHS has performed well. | |
| Ian Dalton, chief executive at the regulator NHS Improvement, said it was a "testament" to the dedication of staff that performance had not declined further. | |
| But Prof John Appleby, chief economist at the Nuffield Trust think-tank, said the health service was "creaking at the seams". | |
| He said the growing number of trolley waits showed "corridors had become the new emergency wards". | |
| A spokesperson for the Royal College of Surgeons said: "These figures show just how tough it was for hospitals this winter despite cancellation of planned surgery to free up capacity. | A spokesperson for the Royal College of Surgeons said: "These figures show just how tough it was for hospitals this winter despite cancellation of planned surgery to free up capacity. |
| "Surgeons and other frontline NHS staff are working tirelessly to provide the best care possible to patients. But today's figures show that these short-term measures are insufficient to meet NHS targets." | "Surgeons and other frontline NHS staff are working tirelessly to provide the best care possible to patients. But today's figures show that these short-term measures are insufficient to meet NHS targets." |
| Additional reporting by Clara Guibourg | |
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