Walsall Manor Hospital confident it can cope this winter after busiest ever day at A&E
Bosses at a Black Country hospital say they are confident they will be able to cope during winter after its A&E experienced its busiest ever day.
Walsall Manor Hospital has been put under severe strain over recent weeks and the level of demand led to questions from NHS chiefs about whether it would be able to cope.
But NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSI/E), which oversees hospital trusts, says it is satisfied with the Manor's winter plan.
The hospital experienced its busiest day on record at the start of November as 275 people filed into A&E.
It comes as hospitals across the country are struggling to ensure enough patients are seen on time. A&E performance is at its worst ever level nationally.
A total of 82 per cent of patients were seen within four hours at Walsall Manor in October – way down on the NHS target of 95 per cent.
A report to board members at the Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, said NHSI/E had "sought assurance about the winter period" amid the high levels of demand being placed on the unit.
Chief executive Richard Beeken said the body has been assured about the trust's position. Demand on hospitals is only expected to increase in the run-up to Christmas and the new year.
Extra beds are being used at Walsall Manor, while the workforce has been bolstered by temporary staff as part of the trust's winter plan.
Mr Beeken said: "Our winter resilience planning and preparedness has been commended by NHSI/E and our staff’s engagement in that planning and delivery was observed and positively commented on by the NHSI/E team at the winter assurance visit held on 26/11."
