Patients at A&E facing 17th worst wait in England at QA Hospital

PATIENTS at Queen Alexandra Hospital are waiting longer to be seen at its emergency department than most others in the country.
The entry to QA HospitalThe entry to QA Hospital
The entry to QA Hospital

NHS data published put Portsmouth NHS Hospital Trust 17th from bottom in a league table of 140 trusts across the country who recorded the data.

Out of 2,382 people at accident and emergency, 74.3 per cent were seen in four hours or less, while the national target is 95 per cent.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Just 12 trusts in England hit the 95-per-cent target in September.

In August, 76.2 per cent of people turning up at QA were waiting for four hours or less. The new figures are worse.

A spokeswoman for Portsmouth NHS Hospitals Trust, which runs the QA, said it had seen a ‘marked and significant increase’ in attendances at the Cosham hospital.

The trust did not answer why its figures were worse than other NHS trusts.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But Councillor Jennie Brent, chair of the health overview and scrutiny panel at Portsmouth City Council, said she was optimistic improvements were being made across health groups and organisations to help ease the pressure.

Last year, QA was put on ‘black alert’ when it struggled to cope with the sheer number of people flooding in for emergency treatment.

Last December, figures revealed PHT was the sixth worst-performing trust in the country in terms of meeting A&E visitor targets.

A trust spokeswoman said winter sees more people unwell and in particular elderly people.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She said: ‘We ensure our most urgent patients are seen first, and we work closely with South Central Ambulance Service and other health and social partners across the healthcare system to ensure the emergency department is there for people with serious, life-threatening conditions.’

A long-standing campaign urges patients to go to the appropriate healthcare provider, she added.

Related topics: