THE number of patients waiting longer than four hours at Worcestershire’s two A&E departments has decreased slightly, but is still far short of the government’s target and well below the national average.

Figures for the week ending Sunday, April 19 show 77.9 per cent of patients visiting A&E at Worcestershire Royal Hospital or Redditch’s Alexandra Hospital waited longer than the government-mandated four hours to be seen, treated and either sent home or admitted.

Although this is up slightly on the previous week, when it stood at 75.3 per cent, it is still below the government’s target of 95 per cent and far off the national average of 93.3 per cent.

Both hospitals have been under significant pressure for several months, with a constantly high level of demand, having a knock-on effect on waiting times at both hospitals.

Last week chairman of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust Harry Turner admitted the Royal was “not big enough” to cope with demand, saying almost twice as many patients were coming through the doors than was recommended.

Although the trust – which runs both sites as well as Kidderminster Hospital – declined to comment on the most recent figures, a spokesman renewed an appeal for patients only to go to A&E in a genuine emergency.

Earlier this week your Worcester News reported a ‘disaster doctor’ had been called in by West Midlands Ambulance Trust because there was no capacity in A&E – the same day 55-year-old John Flaherty died after waiting on a trolley at the Royal for five hours.

The problems at the trust have been blamed on a combination of issues including people living longer and as a result having more complex health conditions as well as a lack of capacity in community hospitals and social care placements, meaning patients are often left in an acute hospital for much longer than they would otherwise need to be.

In an effort to deal with the problems the trust has set up a new assessment area at the Royal, where patients are redirected to the most appropriate department, freeing up capacity in A&E. An extension to the department is also due to be built, although this is not likely to get underway for some time.

The national waiting times figure of 93.3 per cent is a slight improvement on the previous week, where 92.4 per cent of patients waited longer than four hours.

An NHS England spokesman said: "It is good to see another improved performance by A&E this week."

Although figures showed nine people spent waited more than 12 hours, none of these were in Worcestershire.

Alternatives to A&E in Worcestershire include the county’s Minor Injury Units in Malvern, Evesham, Kidderminster, Bromsgrove and Tenbury, which are able to deal with non-life threatening conditions and illnesses such as broken bones, burns, wounds, cuts and bruises.

Waiting times are often significantly shorter than at A&E and the unit in Kidderminster is open 24 hours a day.

NHS 111 is also available for free 24 hours a day.