MORE than half of all A&E patients attending the Countess of Chester Hospital Trust faced more than four-hour waits during December, new NHS figures have revealed.

The latest statistics, published on Thursday, January 12, reveal thousands of patients that month were recorded as having to wait more than four hours to be admitted, transferred or discharged.

And for emergency admissions to the hospital trust, more than 800 patients were forced to wait more than 12 hours between the decision to admit them, and being admitted.

Liberal Democrat spokesperson for the City of Chester Rob Herd labelled the figures "unacceptable" and has called on the Government to stop the NHS "splitting at its very seams".

The latest NHS figures show that, for December 2022, a total of 7,231 patients attended A&E at the Countess of Chester Hospital Trust. Of these, 3,655 waited more than four hours to be admitted, transferred or discharged, while 3,576 were seen in less than four hours.

That meant just 49.5 per cent of patients were seen in less than four hours. In England, the average figure was 65 per cent.

For context, the long-standing Government target is for 95 per cent of patients to be seen within four hours, although this has not been hit since 2013.

There were a total of 2,669 emergency admissions to the Countess of Chester Hospital in December 2022. Of those, 1,254 had to wait more than four hours to be admitted, and a shocking 824 had to wait more than 12 hours.

Meanwhile, the average ambulance response time for the most urgent incidents in the North West was nine minutes and 58 seconds in December – well in excess of the NHS target of seven minutes.

Response times for urgent conditions such as heart attacks and strokes are even longer. Ambulance response times in the North West for these Category 2 emergencies are now one hour and twelve minutes, way above the 18-minute target.

Rob Herd, Lib Dem spokesperson for the City of Chester, who stood at the December 2022 by-election, said: “The Government’s failure to tackle the crisis in our NHS is letting down people in Chester and putting patients’ lives at risk. How much more evidence do Ministers need? They either don’t care or just can’t grasp the scale of this problem.

“Unacceptable and heartbreaking delays mean the Government is falling far short even on its own targets.

“Far too many people in Chester are having to wait far too long to get the treatment they need. In many cases, this is literally a matter of life or death. People in our area deserve far better.

“Our NHS isn't just at breaking point - it’s splitting at its very seams. We need action from the Conservatives. Liberal Democrats are demanding the Government release the money they promised to help discharge patients from hospitals, and launch a campaign to recruit the extra paramedics and ambulance staff we need.”

The Health Secretary, Steve Barclay, has also been warned by doctors’ unions that he must address the “workforce crisis” at a meeting during which there was no movement on pay demands.

Representatives from the British Medical Association (BMA), hospital doctors’ union the HCSA, and the British Dental Association (BDA) all met Mr Barclay on Thursday at what was described by both sides as a “constructive” meeting.

Around 45,000 members of the BMA began being balloted on Monday on the prospect of strike action, with the ballot running until February 20 and the result due sometime after that.

The BMA has told the Government that if there is a yes vote, junior doctors will begin their action with a 72-hour “full walkout” in March.

Junior doctor members of the HCSA are currently voting in a strike ballot which closes on January 20, and could result in walkouts in February.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said Mr Barclay recognised during the talks the “significant pressures that staff are working under” in the NHS and that he “appreciates competing workforce and cost-of-living pressures, which he is keen to discuss in the context of the evidence for the pay review body”.

Mr Barclay “welcomed the constructive discussion and shared interest in making the health service better, with opportunities identified to look at reform measures to improve outcomes for patients and help staff, for example, improving IT and freeing up clinicians’ time to focus on patients, not admin”, DHSC added.

The Health Secretary hoped to “continue talking” and would “take away the points raised as part of discussions happening across government”, the department said.

The Countess of Chester Hospital Trust has urged people to consider using the NHS 111 line first before coming to A&E.

NHS 111 can provide expert medical advice on your condition over the phone or online.

They can also arrange an appointment with a healthcare professional.

For more information, visit 111.nhs.uk