The ten London NHS trusts with the longest A&E wait times have been revealed by new data – with Barts Health NHS Trust topping the list.
Figures published by NHS England show that 1,199 people waited more than 12 hours from the decision to admit to actually being admitted across the Trust’s three emergency departments in December.
More than 10,000 patients in London faced a wait of more than 12 hours in A&E in December, the figures showed, a significant rise on the month before.
Nationally, the number of people waiting more than 12 hours stood at 54,207 in the same month, up 9 per cent from October.
Kings College Hospital NHS Trust had the second-highest proportion of 12-hour waits in the capital (972 patients), followed by Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust (951 patients).
The rest of the top ten are as follows:
– The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, where 934 patients waited more than 12 hours
– North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust, where 853 patients waited more than 12 hours
– St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, where 747 patients waited more than 12 hours
– Epsom And St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, where 741 patients waited more than 12 hours
– Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, where 666 patients waited more than 12 hours
– London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, where 615 patients waited more than 12 hours
– Kingston And Richmond NHS Foundation Trust, where 478 patients waited more than 12 hours
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has announced plans to name and shame struggling hospitals as part of plans to ensure there are “no rewards for failure” in the health service.
NHS England will also carry out a “no holds barred” review of NHS performance across England, with the results made public in league tables which are regularly updated.
But health experts cast doubt over whether a league table would be effective, saying it could dent staff morale and lead to recruitment issues.
Rory Deighton, acute director at the NHS Confederation, said of the figures: “The NHS continues to be facing record demand, with A&Es and ambulances having their busiest October ever. This comes after the busiest summer and September on record, so it is very concerning that the health service is running so hot ahead of what is expected to be another very difficult winter.
“NHS leaders and their teams are working incredibly hard and will continue to do so over the next few months. But with record numbers of patients who often have multiple or more complex conditions there is a real risk services could become overwhelmed and fall into crisis.”