Bradford's hospitals miss A&E targets amid winter pressure

Both Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI) and Airedale General Hospital are seeing an increase in the number of people in hospital with respiratory conditions - and are expecting this to increase over the Christmas and New Year period.

Health chiefs have warned this year’s flu season is “officially underway".

How did Bradford's A&Es perform in November?

A&E departments at BRI and Airedale are extremely busy, and people are being urged to think about whether their ailment could be better treated elsewhere.

It comes as both A&Es fell short of key targets in November.

The NHS standard is for 95 per cent of patients to be seen within four hours.

However, the Government announced a two-year plan to stabilise NHS services earlier this year which set a recovery target of 76 per cent of patients being seen within four hours by March 2024.

Airedale fell significantly short of both the recovery target and the NHS Standard.

Airedale A&E

NHS England figures show there were 6,109 visits to A&E, but just 48 per cent of arrivals were seen within four hours.

Meanwhile, 631 patients waited longer than four hours, including 238 who were delayed by more than 12 hours.

BRI’s performance was much higher, but the key targets were still missed.

Of the 12,248 visits to A&E in November, 9,056 were seen within four hours. This equates to 74 per cent of arrivals.

A total of 961 patients waited longer than four hours, including 95 who were delayed by more than 12 hours.

'We are extremely busy - we have to prioritise the sickest patients'

A spokesperson for Airedale and Bradford hospitals said: “As this data shows we, along with all trusts nationally, are extremely busy, and have seen very high numbers of patients in our A&E departments.

“We have to prioritise our sickest patients, so we apologise to anyone who has had a long wait for treatment.”

The spokesperson added: “It remains the case that some people could be treated appropriately elsewhere.

“Members of the public can help by making sure that if they do choose to come to A&E for treatment, that it is the best place for them to go to get the right care. 

“A&E is for accidents and emergencies only, such as severe chest pain, difficulty breathing, significant head injuries and broken bones. 

“Using an alternative to A&E when you aren’t seriously ill such as going to www.111.nhs.uk, calling NHS 111, seeing your GP or visiting your pharmacist, could mean that you end up waiting less time to receive care.”

Advice on how to stay well in winter 

Speaking about the rise in winter colds and illnesses, Helen Farmer, programme director for the Access to Care Programme at the Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership said: “In winter, cold weather and spending more time indoors mean these illnesses spread more easily.

“If you feel unwell try to stay at home and try to avoid contact with other people until you feel better, especially people who are pregnant, are aged 60 or over, or who have a weakened immune system due to a health condition or because they are undergoing medical treatment.

“There are some things you can do to help yourself stay well in winter – it’s not too late to get your flu and Covid-19 vaccinations, just visit nhs.uk/wintervaccinations and find a pharmacy near you.”

To manage winter illness symptoms at home, the advice is to keep warm, rest, drink plenty of fluids, have at least one hot meal a day to keep energy levels up, and use over-the-counter medications to help provide relief.

A 'challenging winter' ahead for the NHS

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said staff face a "challenging winter".

Sir Stephen Powis (Image: PA)

He said this includes the rising number of patients with flu, issues discharging medically fit patients due to a lack of social care capacity, and more industrial action planned ahead of Christmas.

"Our staff will once more be prioritising urgent and emergency care to protect patient safety and ensure those in life-saving emergencies can receive the best possible care," he added.

What has Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said?

Speaking to broadcasters on Thursday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "We know that winter is always a challenging time for the NHS and that’s why this year as Prime Minister I made sure that we started planning with the NHS for winter earlier than we've ever done it."

Mr Sunak said extra funding towards expanding A&E departments, increasing the number of ambulances on the road, and improving the social care sector will free up capacity to treat urgent patients.