Huge number of patients wait more than 12 hours for A&E treatment in York trust hospitals

The impact of the NHS winter crisis on patients in our area is laid bare by the latest figures.

According to the Ambulance and A&E Statistics for December, huge numbers of people were kept waiting more than 12 hours for emergency treatment at York and Scarborough hospitals.

In that month:

• 1,916 people waited over 4 hours to be seen
• 1,234 people waited over 12 hours.

The figures, for York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust which runs the hospitals, were described as ‘alarming’ by leading York councillors.

Latest statistics also show the average ambulance response time for the most urgent incidents in Yorkshire Ambulance Service was 11.19 minutes in December – well in excess of the NHS target of seven minutes. 

Councillor Carol Runciman, Liberal Democrat executive member for health and adult social care, said: “The government’s failure to tackle the crisis in our NHS is putting people’s lives at risk.

“Far too many people in both York and Scarborough are having to wait far too long to get the treatment they need. In many cases, this is literally a matter of life or death.

“Rather than more talk, they must without further delay release the money promised to help discharge patients from hospitals, and launch a campaign to recruit the extra paramedics and ambulance staff we need.”