A&E Delays Are Now Worse Than Ever14th Mar 2016
Accident and emergency (A&E) delays across the UK are now at their worst since records began. And that is not all.
Here are the headline figures for January 2016, officially A&E’s worst ever month:
- A&E staff treated only 88.7 per cent of English patients within four hours.
- In Wales it was just 78.5 per cent.
- The target is 95 per cent.
Dig deeper and it gets worse – such as the NHS missing a key target for cancer treatment for the 20th time in 21 months.
Or the number of people waiting at least six weeks for a key diagnostic test is twice what should be.
Or that ambulances missed their ‘respond to critical calls in eight minutes’ target for the eighth month running.
It’s obvious that the NHS is not improving. It’s getting worse.
Operations are being cancelled (and not just because of the doctors’ strikes). GPs are being advised to reduce referral numbers.
How can they? You either need to go to hospital or you don’t. It’s not something which can be ‘managed’ to suit budget targets.
And remember that news story about NHS 111 call centre staff falling asleep at their desks? It feels as if Britain is becoming a third world country with cut-backs and practices that endanger life.
So what can you do about it? Simply hoping for the best is futile. The data and anecdotal evidence prove that. The NHS has shown month after month that it cannot hit key targets.
Instead of improvement, we now see a new low point in A&E performance. But simply grumbling will not solve the problem. Action is required.
We would much prefer to see prevention rather than cure: adequate and timely treatment, rather than having to take legal action when it has all gone wrong.
But sometimes litigation is inevitable. It also helps to ensure that the same problems are less likely to happen again to other patients.
Claiming compensation from a much-loved British institution like the NHS may not sound palatable but victims of medical negligence have little choice.
How else can they fund the treatment and care they need after the NHS has botched an operation or failed to diagnose a serious condition?
Coles Miller is recommended in the Legal 500 guide for its expertise in helping victims of clinical negligence to claim compensation for their injuries.
Have you been failed by the NHS or another healthcare provider? Get expert legal advice from Coles Miller Partner David Simpson, 01202 355695.
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This document is not intended to constitute and should not be used as a substitute for legal advice on any specific matter. No liability for the accuracy of the content of this document, or the consequences of relying on it, is assumed by the author. If you seek further information, please contact Managing Partner Neil Andrews at Coles Miller Solicitors LLP.
