Originally published by Shane Brennan at the Daily Post, online, available at: http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/latest-ae-figures-nort…
While health chiefs defend the figures, local Assembly Member Janet Finch-Saunders has condemned the numbers
Latest A&E performance figures for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, showing the poorest April performance since before 2010, have been slammed.
Numbers for April this year show that 14,790 patients spent less than four hours waiting for emergency care but this is below the figures for the same month for every year going back to 2010 when 16,405 patients were treated in under four hours.
Local Assembly Member Janet Finch-Saunders condemned the figures.
She said: “For April, the percentage of patients seen within the four-hour target time at A&E in north Wales is the lowest since before 2010, with a drop of 11.6%.
“Figures for the eight-hour target are also markedly lower than seven years ago, and beg the question – why are we seeing so little progress from the Welsh Labour Government, who have the Health Board under special measures?
“It really is time for the Cabinet Secretary to up his game on Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board – falling figures in such crucial areas as A&E simply should not be tolerated.”
A Welsh Government spokesman defended the performance.
He said: “Over 14,700 patients were assessed and then admitted or sent home from emergency departments in north Wales within four hours in April 2017 – 800 more than in April 2016, and the highest number of patients since October 2016.
“We are working very closely with the Health Board to support improvements and will continue to closely monitor progress.”
Nigel Lee, the health board's Director of Secondary Care, said staff were working hard to ensure patients A&E patients were cared for as quickly as possible.
He said: “During April we saw a 5% increase in demand across all our sites in North Wales compared to April 2016.
“It’s important to note that patients who visit the emergency department are assessed quickly, and those in need of urgent and emergency care are prioritised so that they receive the treatment they need as soon as possible.
“This does mean that patients who don’t require urgent hospital-level care sometimes have to wait for longer than we could wish.
“Many patients who do not need full emergency hospital treatment may find that they can get appropriate advice and care from other NHS services, including our minor injuries units, local pharmacists or by calling NHS Direct Wales on 0845 46 47.
“We are working closely with hospital and community teams, as well as with our partners in the Welsh Ambulance Service and Local Authorities, on ways to improve the flow of patients into and out of hospital to any ongoing health and social care they may require.
“We also encourage our patients to download our Live Wait Times smartphone app, for iPhones and Android, which gives patients an up to date guide on how long they are likely to spend in our minor injuries units and emergency departments, as well as contact information and directions to these units.”