Performance figures from NHS England figures have deteriorated to record lows this month as the unprecedented summer NHS crisis deepens, with trolley waits reaching a new high point and the waiting list growing to more than 6.7 million people.
The figures show that 29,317 patients waited 12 hours in A&E from decision to admit to admission in July. This is a significant increase on the 22,034 trolley waits recorded in June and the previous record of 24,138 recorded in April.
Performance against the four-hour emergency care target also reached a record low point of 57% in type one A&Es, down from 58.8 per cent in the previous month and the previous record low of 58.7% in March.
Many thousands more patients in July would have waited 12 hours in A&E from time of admission. NHSE collects but does not routinely publish this data, despite calls from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine to do so and many trusts now reporting this data individually. NHSE said pressures in social care meant on average there were 12,900 patients a day in July who spent more time in hospital than needed – an 11 per cent rise on the previous month. Only 40 per cent of patients in July were able to leave hospital when they were ready to.
Full story in the HSJ, 11 August 2022