Hospitals Trust falls behind national A&E success

Date published: 16 May 2009

Pennine Acute Hospitals Trust, which runs Rochdale Infirmary, have fallen behind the operational standard for 98% of patients to be treated within four hours of arrival at A&E over the last year.

The Trust admitted 64,022 patients into A&E across its four hospitals between January and March this year, and 92.8% of them were seen, diagnosed and treated within four hours of arriving at A&E departments.

Nationally more than 98% of patients are seen within four hours of arrival.

Health Minister Ben Bradshaw said: "This is a tremendous achievement by NHS staff who continue to deliver fast, safe, high quality care to a growing number of A&E patients, especially given that this Winter was the most challenging for years.

"Patients tell us the time spent in A&E matters to them, which is why A&E waiting times continue to be a priority. Nurses have told me how ambulance staff used to queue out of the door with patients on trolleys before the four-hour standard was introduced.

"Thanks to the hard work of NHS staff the waiting experience for millions of patients in A&E has dramatically improved - especially when we consider that, before the target was introduced, almost a quarter of patients spent more than four hours in A&E."