Four-hour A&E waiting times at risk in Bromley

The government is dropping its pledge to meet the four-hour A&E waiting times target by the end of this Parliament. The four-hour wait is a target in the NHS Constitution that states at least 95% of patients attending A&E should be admitted, transferred, or discharged within four hours. The Labour government introduced the four-hour standard in the early 2000s. The target was originally set at 100%, but was lowered to reflect clinical concerns. 

Liberal Democrat Health and Care Spokesperson Helen Morgan MP said:
“Dropping this target is an insult to patients who are having to wait hours on end to be seen at A&E. It looks like the government is taking a whack-a-mole approach to NHS targets, focusing on waiting lists at the expense of A&Es and GPs. The only way to fix the NHS is by driving up improvement across the board, and critically tackling the social care crisis that has been ignored for far too long."

In Bromley, the overall performance against the four-hour wait target for A&E remains challenging, but has maintained a baseline improvement for 4 months. However, there has been an increase in stroke and mental health delays in the wider system and staff capacity overall remains a key challenge. The financial deficit that the local team is working with is around £60-70 million. 

Bromley Lib Dem spokesperson for Health & Wellbeing, Cllr Will Connolly asked the Chief Executive for the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) and South Sites - which are part of the King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - if the 4-hour wait is an important target to keep. Responding in a personal capacity, The Chief Exec said, “it is an important standard to apply ourselves to, to ensure patients receive the right treatment and care.”