Chesterfield Royal Hospital misses emergency waiting times

However, Chesterfield Royal Hospital was not the only one – all 118 major accident and emergency units in England failed to hit their four-hour waiting time target in November, new NHS figures show.

At the Royal, just 70.8 per cent of its 8,226 A&E patients were seen within the four-hour target – the national average was 81.4 per cent, against the 95 per cent target.

A Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust spokesman, said: “Like all emergency departments across the UK, we continue to see incredibly high numbers of patients.

“Despite these sustained and challenging circumstances, our ED team work incredibly hard to provide safe, high-quality care in order of clinical priority.

“Patients attending ED with conditions that are not serious or life-threatening may wait longer to be seen.”

Nationally, nearly 90,000 patients waited more than four hours for a bed to be found after a decision to admit them in November, with more than 1,000 patients waiting more than 12 hours.

At the Royal, 583 patients waited more than four hours and five waited more than 12 hours.

The trust spokesman urged people to “use its services wisely”.

He said: “Before taking a trip to our ED, is it really the right place to get care for your minor illness or injury?

“There are four minor injury units within half an hour’s drive of the Royal. They are open from 8am to 8pm every day, usually have waiting times of less than an hour and also run X-ray services from 9am to 5pm on weekdays.

“GPs often offer evening appointments and phone consultations - and the NHS 111 service provides 24/7 urgent advice from health professionals.

“Your local pharmacist can also help with minor illnesses and you can self-treat winter coughs, colds, seasonal flu and stomach upsets at home; getting plenty of rest, using over the counter medications and drinking plenty of fluids.“Following these simple guidelines will get you the most appropriate care much faster - and allow our staff in the emergency department to concentrate on treating those with serious and life threatening conditions.”