Clinical & Medical Negligence Newsletter - Attwaters Jameson Hill - Spring 2018

08 | Spring 2018 Medical Negligence Newsletter A&E waits hit new record worst level Although NHS hospitals are targeted with seeing 95 per cent of patients in four hours, new figures show that during March just 84.6 per cent of patients were seen in four hours. The previous worst month was February, and before that December, showing that it had been an extremely difficult winter for the health service. The publication of the March data by NHS England also means the picture for the full 2017-18 year is now available. That shows that annual performance is also the worst on record since the target was introduced in 2004. During 2017-18, only 88.4 per cent of patients were seen in four hours. The single worst performance against target was from Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, which managed to see only 70.9% of patients in four hours during 2017-18. Ian Dalton, head of NHS Improvement, the body that regulates NHS services, said hospitals were facing a mammoth task in trying to cope with the rising numbers of patients, particularly the sickest who need to be admitted onto the wards.