The performance in North West London A&E departments has suffered considerably following the closure of two emergency departments in the area, sparking concern about the effect that 24 potential closures across STPs in England could have on national performance and patient safety.
In the ‘Can we afford to close any more A&E departments?’ report released today by the Centre for Health and the Public Interest (CHPI), it was revealed that following the closure of the A&E departments, performance in North West London hospitals has seen a considerable drop, with performance against the 95% four hour waiting time target falling to as low as 60% in some hospitals.
The research found that before the closure of Central Middlesex A&E and Hammersmith A&E, the performance of Type 1 A&E departments across North West London hospitals met the four-hour target between 78% and 95% of the time during the winter months.