An unexpected summer crisis is developing in the NHS, with performance in accident and emergency departments deteriorating, bucking the normal trend of waiting times being worse in winter than summer, according to the Labour party.
The figures show a record number of patients attending hospital A&E departments in any one week and a record number then admitted to hospital wards. The figures show a total of 296,667 going to A&E in the last week of May, again raising questions about the adequacy of GP services. Of these 77,745 were admitted to hospital.
A&E departments are supposed to see, treat, and admit or discharge 95% of patients within four hours of arrival at hospital, but in the last four weeks the number of patients waiting more than four hours has ranged from 22,231 a week to 24,503.
Full story in The Guardian 10 June 2014