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A&E in England misses target for whole of winter | A&E in England misses target for whole of winter |
(35 minutes later) | |
The NHS in England has missed its A&E waiting time target for every week of winter, figures show. | The NHS in England has missed its A&E waiting time target for every week of winter, figures show. |
Hospitals are meant to see 95% of patients in four hours, but during the 18 weeks since the start of November that has been missed every week. | |
NHS England has also admitted the 2014-15 average will be below the target - the first time this has happened for a whole year. | NHS England has also admitted the 2014-15 average will be below the target - the first time this has happened for a whole year. |
Hospitals in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have also struggled. | Hospitals in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have also struggled. |
Each nation has missed its target, which relates to the time from arrival to being discharged, admitted or transferred, during November, December and January. | |
The data comes as the BBC's NHS Winter project, which has tracked the performance of local hospitals, finishes. | The data comes as the BBC's NHS Winter project, which has tracked the performance of local hospitals, finishes. |
The project has focused on the biggest units - known as type ones - from the start of November to last Sunday. The national figure also includes smaller centres, such as walk-in clinics. | |
Sixty-three of the 140 major trusts missed the target every single week. Just one - Luton and Dunstable - managed to achieve the 95% mark every week. | Sixty-three of the 140 major trusts missed the target every single week. Just one - Luton and Dunstable - managed to achieve the 95% mark every week. |
But Dr Sarah Pinto-Duschinsky, director of operations at NHS England, said the health service still deserved praise for the way it had managed the pressures. | But Dr Sarah Pinto-Duschinsky, director of operations at NHS England, said the health service still deserved praise for the way it had managed the pressures. |
"This winter NHS staff in England pulled out all the stops and, compared with last year, provided care for an incredible 190,000 more people coming to A&E and 51,000 more being admitted to hospital as an emergency. | "This winter NHS staff in England pulled out all the stops and, compared with last year, provided care for an incredible 190,000 more people coming to A&E and 51,000 more being admitted to hospital as an emergency. |
"These record numbers - up by between 6% and 9% some weeks - mean that, although the NHS won't have met the A&E average 95% target for the full year, staff continued even during this busiest winter ever to treat more than nine in ten people within four hours. | |
"And most patients were, in fact, treated in under an hour. This is not only the best performance in the UK but probably of any major country internationally." | "And most patients were, in fact, treated in under an hour. This is not only the best performance in the UK but probably of any major country internationally." |
The winter in numbers | The winter in numbers |
How bad has winter been for the NHS? | |
The publication of the winter data came as a Nuffield Trust report warned the pressures in the NHS were so great that even the best hospitals in England were struggling. | |
The think tank looked at performance in this Parliament against six targets, covering A&E, operations, cancer and diagnostic tests. | |
It found most patients were still being seen within the target times at the 156 hospital trusts. But it said performance at even the top sites was declining. | |
Report author Holly Dorning said: "We've known that hospitals have been struggling to meet the four-hour A&E target for a while. | Report author Holly Dorning said: "We've known that hospitals have been struggling to meet the four-hour A&E target for a while. |
"But the fact that we are starting to see problems in other areas, like access to planned treatment, is a real concern. | "But the fact that we are starting to see problems in other areas, like access to planned treatment, is a real concern. |
"As this study makes clear, warning lights are now starting to flash across the wider hospital system." | "As this study makes clear, warning lights are now starting to flash across the wider hospital system." |