New figures reveal A&E targets were missed

Waiting times at Watford General Hospital’s A & E department did not meet the national target, new figures revealed today (Tuesday). More than 34,000 patients were treated at Hemel Hempstead Urgent Care Centre and St Albans Hospital as well as Watford General Hospital. All three hospitals are managed by West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust. The NHS England figures show that only 90.1 per cent of which were treated within four hours, below the national target of 95 per cent. Samantha Jones, Trust Chief Executive, said: “While it is disappointing that we did not meet the national standard, like other hospitals across the country, we have been extremely busy. “Over the Christmas and New Year fortnight 4,910 patients used our A&E services with many seriously ill and requiring admission to our hospitals. “In total over the last five weeks almost 13,000 people used our A&E at Watford Hospital, our urgent care centre at Hemel Hempstead Hospital and our minor injuries unit at St Albans Hospital.” Ms Jones highlighted that the number of patients in the past year increased by nearly seven per cent which has put extra strain on the staff. “I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our staff who are working extremely hard to ensure our patients receive the best possible care, under challenging circumstances,” she added. Dr Nicolas Small, Chair of Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group said the hospitals only have the capacity to treat serious, life-threatening or dangerous conditions and urged the public to think whether a hospital visit was necessary. He added: “More than 240 people arrived at Watford General’s A&E department yesterday, including several people who thought they may have flu asking for prescriptions, people with toothache and some women asking for the morning after pill or a pregnancy test.  Accident and Emergency was not the right place for them.” People should not attend A&E for common winter illnesses, as other services such as GPs, Pharmacy’s and NHS 111 are on hand to help.