Last month was the NHS’ busiest December on record with more than 2 million visiting A&E. As doctors now battle rising winter flu rates, here’s how your local A&E department have fared
Doctors across England have warned of crisis on the wards amidst spiralling winter flu cases – as one map reveals the worst areas for A&E delays.
Several hospital trusts have already declared critical incidents in recent days as wards are swamped with winter flu patients. Some have even taken to online to warn the public against coming, telling them to come “on your own” and restricting visitors.
Data shows that nearly half (44.7%) of arrivals at “Type 1” A&E departments – i.e. those in major town and city hospitals – last month faced delays of more than four hours. One man at a hospital in Liverpool faced an agonising three-day wait to be seen by a consultant, it was revealed this week.
The four-hour delay figure was up from 43% in November, although lower than the 45.3% rate in December 2023. The highest on record was the December the year prior, at 50.4%.
Figures now show which hospital trusts recorded the worst average wait times, with Hull being particularly bad. Some 64.3% of A&E attendees there faced a four hour wait or more to be admitted last month. Similarly, at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust it was 63.7% and at North Tees And Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust it was 62.4%.
Tens of thousands meanwhile faced agonising delays of more than half a day for a bed. A total of 54,207 attendances at A&Es in December had at least a 12 hour wait from decision to admit to admission.
That’s the third highest total on record and is up from 44,045 people in December 2023, but below the peak of 54,573 in December 2022. A total of 1,894 arrivals at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust had to wait over 12 hours, which is more than at any trust in England.
More than half (53.0%) of arrivals at North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust had to wait over 12 hours, however, which is the highest proportion in the country. Last month was one of the NHS’ busiest Decembers on record, with a staggering 2.35 million attending A&E departments in England alone. More than half of these (1.44 million) were at Type 1 departments.
Secretary of State Wes Streeting said earlier this week that he was “ashamed” at scenes of patients being treated in hospital corridors. Mr Streeting said: “Annual winter pressures should not mean an annual winter crisis, which is why this government is making significant investment in the NHS, undertaking fundamental reform, and acting now to improve social care. It will take time to turn the NHS around, but the fact that waiting lists are now falling shows that change is possible.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer however unveiled plans on Monday to reduce waiting lists. Waiting lists fell for a third consecutive month in November, with 7.47 million now waiting to start treatment – 61,000 fewer than in October.
The number on the waiting list for over a year also fell, with 221,889 now waiting for over 52 weeks. It means just 3,0% of those on the waiting list have been there for over a year, down from the post-Covid outbreak peak of 8.8% back in March 2021.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS National Medical Director, said: “As the incredibly busy winter continues and hospitals clearly experience intense pressure, please do continue to only use 999 and A&E in life-threatening emergencies and use NHS 111 and 111 online for other conditions, as well as using your local GP and pharmacy services in the usual way.”
Wes Streeting added: “In the past 6 months, we have ended the junior doctors’ strikes so staff are on the front line not the picket line for the first winter in 3 years, and introduced the new RSV vaccine. But despite the best efforts of staff, patients are still receiving unacceptable standards of care.
“Although this winter’s campaign vaccinated more people than last winter, this strain of flu has hit hard, putting more than three times as many patients into hospital compared to this time last year.
