The number of patients enduring 12-hour trolley waits at York and Scarborough hospitals has significantly decreased, though health officials warn that bed capacity challenges remain high.
The number of 12-hour trolley waits at the NHS Trust that runs York and Scarborough hospitals has reduced.
In February, 406 people waited for 12 hours or longer on a trolley at hospitals run by the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The number of waits has decreased from the 930 patients who experienced 12-hour trolley waits after attending emergency departments in January. In December, there were 759 trolley waits that lasted longer than 12 hours.
Clare Smith, chief executive of the trust, said she was
“hopeful that we’re starting to be able to demonstrate an improvement both at York and Scarborough for emergency care services”.
She added that the trust was working to “eradicate corridor care”.
Speaking at a trust board meeting last week, she said:
“We didn’t use to have 12-hour waits in our departments before, and we need to get to a position again where we don’t have 12-hour waits.”
A report presented to health bosses noted that bed occupancy levels remain high and there is a risk that “the level of required capacity on wards is higher than escalation spaces can support”.
It noted:
“There is a risk that while the new model will reduce the number of patients waiting for 12 hours in our emergency departments, the wait will only transfer to the emergency assessment unit, which could quickly become full. To mitigate this, all care groups and specialities must adhere to the quality standards.”
A spokesperson for York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“We are working closely with our health and care partners to improve patient flow through the hospital, including supporting earlier discharge, making best use of available beds, and strengthening same-day emergency care.
“These actions are helping to reduce long waits, including 12-hour trolley waits.”
The spokesperson added:
“We recognise we are not yet consistently delivering the standards we aspire to. We remain committed to reducing long waits and eliminating corridor care and are developing further actions to support this.
“Our focus is on ensuring patients receive safe, timely care, and we will continue working with partners to build on the progress we are seeing.”
At the trust’s board meeting, health bosses welcomed news that on Sunday, March 22, “we had zero 12-hour waits at York Hospital”, while Scarborough Hospital was said to be “struggling a bit more due to medical staffing differences”.
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