NHS England: Liverpool and Merseyside hospitals with worst A&E waiting times revealed - record high attendees

Waits in England’s A&E departments are not improving, figures released this week show.

The total number of people attending A&E departments in December 2022 was 2,283,000, an increase of 21.8% compared with the year prior, and 4.7% higher than December 2019 - this is the highest reported attendances since the collection began.

NHS bodies across England are facing their toughest winter yet, as well as nurse and ambulance worker strikes, but how are Merseyside A&E departments coping?

Guidelines say at least 95% of A&E patients should be admitted to hospital, transferred to another provider or discharged within four hours. It’s a target which hasn’t been met since 2015, but the situation is getting worse and waits are at a record high.

In December 2022, no Trusts in Merseyside were above the waiting time target, despite Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust and Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust both achieving the target in November.

St Helens And Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust had the highest percentage of patients waiting over four hours, closely followed by Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.

Merseyside A&E waiting times

(Percentage of attendances where wait is 4 hours or less (target is 95%) from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge)

• Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust: 93.8%
• Wirral Community Health And Care NHS Foundation Trust: 92.5%
• Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust: 88.2%
• Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust: 82.3%
• Southport And Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust: 70.72%
• Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: 64.0%
• Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: 61.9%
• Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust: 59.7%
• St Helens And Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust: 52.9%
• Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust: 59.7%
• Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: 61.9%
• Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: 64.0%

There was however, an inprovement in the number people on waiting lists for hospital treatment at several Trusts, including: Liverpool Heart and Chest NHS Foundation Trust, Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, Southport And Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust, St Helens And Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Trust, Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust.

What has been said?

NHS National Medical Director, Professor Sir Stephen Powis, said: “As staff responded to record A&E attendances, 999 calls and emergency ambulance call outs as the ‘twindemic’ lead to unprecedented levels of respiratory illness in hospital, they also continued to deliver for patients with more people than ever before receiving diagnostic tests and cancer treatment.

“The NHS will keep its foot on the accelerator to continue to make progress on the covid backlog and hospitals have today been asked to ensure anyone waiting longer than 18 months has their treatment booked in before March.

“While services continue to be pressured, it’s important the public continue to play their part by using the best services for their care – using 999 in an emergency and otherwise using 111 online and by getting their vaccinations if eligible.”