More than 2/3 of A&E arrivals at the Royal Free were seen within 4 hours

The main hospital trust serving Barnet is failing to meet its current target of 78% reports Sonja Tutty, Data Reporter

More than two-thirds of people who attended accident and emergency at the Royal Free London last month were seen within four hours, new figures show.

The NHS standard is for 95% of patients to be seen within four hours. However, as part of a recovery plan, the health service has a target for 78% of patients to be seen within this timeframe in March 2025.

The previous recovery target was for 76% of patients to be seen within four hours by March this year, which was missed across England.

Recent NHS England figures show there were 27,866 A&E visits at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust in May. Of these, 19,438 were seen within four hours – representing 70% of arrivals.

In England, 74% of patients were seen within four hours, a slight decrease from the previous month.

The figures also show that 42,555 emergency admissions waited more than 12 hours in A&E departments from the decision to admit they were actually admitted – up from 42,078 in April.

The number waiting at least four hours from admission decision to admission also increased, from 134,344 in April to 138,770 in May.

At the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, 2,054 patients waited more than four hours, including 929 who were delayed by more than 12 hours.

Siva Anandaciva, chief analyst at The King’s Fund, said: “Today’s performance figures cover the traditionally quieter spring and summer period but show that the NHS is still under incredible pressure, with patients waiting far longer than they should to receive care.

“It’s no surprise that the NHS is once again at the top of many polls on what matters most to voters as we head into a general election.”

He added that “history has shown” that the NHS can deliver better care and shorter waiting times for patients when it is given “the right resources and has a coherent plan for improvement”.

“At the end of the day, politicians, national bodies, health staff and the public all want timely, high-quality healthcare to be available to all – now it’s up to the next government to make that possible,” he said.

Around 2.4 million people attended A&E departments in England last month – the highest number on record.

The total number of A&E attendances at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust in May was a 6% increase on the 26,380 visits recorded in April and 10% more than the 25,419 patients seen in May 2023.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS National Medical Director, said: “As these figures show, demand for NHS services across the country remains high.

“May was a record month for emergency and emergency services, with the highest number of A&E attendances, as well as the busiest May for the most urgent ambulance calls, while staff provided a record number of appointments electives for April.”

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