Figures out in January reveal how three Greater Manchester A&E departments are not performing well against government targets and, in terms of waiting times, they are appearing at the bottom of the table. Wythenshawe, Tameside and Stockport Hospitals have felt the pressure in their A&E departments as the winter demands have increase the pressure on their services.
The figures are taken from 250 trusts with only one hospital, North Middlesex Trust, faring worse. The governments targets stipulate that 95% of patients should be seen within four hours of arriving at A&E but Wythenshawe recorded 71.7%, Tameside recorded 73.4% and Stepping Hill -71.7%
In the past, poor figures have been blamed on the worried well who clog up the A&E departments when they should be visiting their GP but hospital sources blame the problems on poor social care resources causing elderly or vulnerable patients using a bed for longer than is necessary.
Indeed there was a 12% rise in bed blocking across the Greater Manchester Hospitals which is a considerable increase.
A spokesman for Stockport NHS Foundation Trust said:
“We know that long waits in A&E are very distressing for patients, and we apologise for this, but our main priority is patient safety”.
A Tameside hospital spokesman said: “January’s figures continue to reflect the on-going challenges we see in our Emergency Department”.
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