New Cross Hospital A&E performance dipped before coronavirus
A&E performance dipped at a hospital before the coronavirus pandemic as patients were kept waiting longer to be seen.
Figures showed 81 per cent of patients were seen within four hours at New Cross Hospital during 2019/20, down from 90 per cent the previous year and below the national 95 per cent NHS target.
That target has become somewhat irrelevant for the time being due to the impact of coronavirus, which has skewed the outlook. Most NHS trusts are now meeting the 95 per cent target, but only because fewer patients are attending A&E due to fears over Covid-19. A&E attendance was down by around half at the height of the pandemic.
But the figures illustrate the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT), which runs New Cross, was struggling to get enough patients seen on time before the pandemic.
A report to the Wolverhampton Clinical Commissioning Group's (CCG) AGM said that "unfortunately our local hospital RWT's A&E performance declined this year".
In better news for health bosses in Wolverhampton, delayed transfers of care - commonly known as bed blocking - have reduced, freeing up more hospital beds for those who need them.
Delays in securing a place in a care home or disagreements in families can lead to patients staying in hospitals when they no longer need to be there, increasing pressure on hospitals.
Around 3.3 per cent of patients stayed in hospital longer than needed, compared to 4.2 per cent in February 2018.
CCG bosses praised a partnership with the trust and city council in achieving the improved results.
Paul Maubach, CCG chief executive, told the AGM: "The best way to be rehabilitated is to get treatment and get out as quickly as possible. The fact we have been able to lower delays is extremely important.
"This is a collaborative effort on managing delayed transfers of care. Particularly with the consequences of Covid-19 you will all be aware of the pressure our local hospital has been under.
"One aspect that is extremely important is the right people are in hospital for the right treatment and that they can get out of hospital as quickly as possible."
