Patients waited up to 12 hours in A&E throughout December 2021.

The latest data reveals that 31% of patients, 1,205, were waiting in A&E for more than four hours, and 187 of these patients experienced delays of up to 12 hours.

Throughout the entirety of December, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust saw a total of 15,314 visits to A&E.

This was a 21% increase from last year, where the trust saw 12,620 visits to A&E.

The NHS target for patients being seen to under four hours is 95%.

Chief Executive of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, Matthew Hopkins, said: 

“Staff across our Emergency Departments and partner NHS services are working incredibly hard to ensure patients get the help they need, as quickly and safely as possible in the face of unprecedented demand.

"We know that long waits, either outside or inside our hospitals, mean that our patients do not always get the experience of care that we would want, which is why we are working so hard to address the challenges we face.

“Work has now started on the creation of a new, 30-place, short stay Clinical Admissions Unit to provide additional capacity at Worcestershire Royal Hospital to help ease the ongoing pressures on our urgent and emergency care.

"We aim to open the unit before the end of next month, which will allow us to offer a greatly improved experience of care for patients who are waiting to be transferred to a ward after being seen in the Emergency Department (ED), as well as free up space, ease pressure on ED staff, reduce waiting times and improve ambulance handovers.

“Members of the public can help us reduce ambulance delays by using NHS 111 online to get advice on the most appropriate service rather than call 999 unless it’s a life-threatening emergency. 

"I would urge anyone if you have not yet had the Covid vaccine please do it now, and if you are due for a booster, please book it now.”

The majority of attendances were via major A&E departments, with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care, while 27% were via minor injury units.

The stats from Worcestershire reflect the stats on a national level, with A&E departments receiving 1.9 million visits last month, which registered as a 27% increase from the 1.5 million visits the year before.