MORE than a quarter of patients visiting A&E in Worcestershire waited longer than four hours for treatment last week.

Figures released by NHS England show only 72.9 per cent of the most seriously ill or injured patients at the A&E departments at Worcestershire Royal Hospital and Redditch’s Alexandra Hospital on the week beginning Monday, February 23 – or 613 people – were seen, treated and either discharged or admitted within the government-mandated four hours.

This is down from 77.8 per cent a month earlier and is far behind the government’s target of treating at least 95 per cent of patients within four hours.

Including the less serious illnesses and injuries the target was met in 81.1 per cent of cases, three of whom waited longer than 12 hours.

Although this trend is mirrored across England, Worcestershire is far below the national average, with the four-hour target met in 91.5 per cent of cases across the country as a whole.

A spokesman from Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust – which runs the two departments as well as Kidderminster Hospital – said the figure was “not where we would wish it to be”.

She said it was due to a continued increase in patients going to A&E, particularly those arriving by ambulance, as well as so-called ‘bed blockers’ – those who are ready to leave hospital but unable to be discharged as there are no beds available in care homes or community hospitals.

“The entire health and social care community in the county is working together to resolve some of these issues and a number of initiatives are already in place as part of the Worcestershire Urgent Care Strategy to both reduce demand and improve patient flow.

“For example A&E clinical staff work with primary care clinical staff and GPs on a daily basis within the emergency department.

“Longer term the trust is looking at how we can enlarge the A&E department at Worcester to cope with the additional demand.

“Whilst the time from arrival in A&E to admission or discharge is an important part of the quality experience for our patients, our main focus particularly during this time remains on ensuring that all of our patients receive safe care.”

Weekly A&E performance figures have been made publicly available since 2010, but chief executive of health think tank the Nuffield Trust Nigel Edwards said this week focussing on the four-hour target was not necessarily helpful to patients.

"The four-hour target has come to loom over every other measure of how well patients with urgent needs are being cared for,” he said.

“Nobody denies that it really matters to people. But there are a lot of other things that matter in emergency healthcare."

Meanwhile all NHS trusts in England have been told GP surgeries should open during the morning on Saturday, April 4 in an effort to keep non-emergency patients away from hospital during the four-day Easter Bank Holiday weekend.

Alternatives to A&E in Worcestershire include the county’s five Minor Injury Units in Malvern, Evesham, Kidderminster, Tenbury and Bromsgrove, which are able to deal with conditions such as broken bones, cuts, burns and bruises. The units in Kidderminster and Tenbury are open 24 hours a day, although the latter is due to close between 9pm and 9am every day from this Monday, March 9, but waiting times at all five are much generally much shorter than at A&E.

NHS 111 is also available for free 24 hours a day.