More than 4,000 people wait more than four hours to be seen at Croydon hospital in one month

More than 4,000 people had to wait more than four hours to be seen for emergency treatment at Croydon University Hospital last month.

Figures released this month show just 79.4 per cent of people arriving at the hospital in December waited less than four hours from arrival to admission, discharge or transfer.

That was the trust’s worst performance since comparable monthly figures began in June 2015.

Overall 4,414 people had to wait more than four hours last month. And 788 people also spent more than four hours waiting in A&E for a ward bed, after doctors decided they needed to be admitted, including 22 who waited more than 12 hours.

Lee McPhail, chief operating officer at Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, said: “We have seen a 12 per cent increase in the number of seriously ill and injured patients cared for in our emergency department compared to last year (December 2018-December 2019).”

He added that every patient who attends A&E is ‘clinically assessed’ within 15 minutes of arrival, with the sickest patients prioritised. This may mean those with minor ailments need to wait longer.

Pressures on the health service also means it could take longer to transfer patients to the emergency department.

In Croydon a quarter of ambulances arriving at the hospital in the week ending January 5 had to wait more than 30 minutes to hand over patients  – this was for  a total of 170 ambulance arrivals.

The figures include 58 ambulances that had to wait over an hour. The target NHS aim is to hand over within 15 minutes.

Mr McPhail said: “Patients arriving by ambulance will always be brought straight into the emergency department if they are in a critical condition, and we try to ensure quick and efficient handovers with paramedics to continue someone’s care and get ambulances back on the road as soon as possible.

“Year-on-year we are seeing an increase in demand for our services across the Trust and in our community services. We’re working hard to help our teams manage this and are collaborating with partners across Croydon, including the ambulance service, primary care, mental health and social services to ensure that people are getting the care they need quickly and in the right setting.”