A&E waiting times 'have CRASHED' with one in three waiting over an hour

25 July 2023 , 15:35

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Waiting times are going up as care quality goes down (Image: Getty Images)

A&E waiting times and care standards have crashed says the regulator in a damning report.

The Care Quality Commission surveyed more than 36,000 people and found their experience of A&E is getting far worse.

Some 32% waited more than an hour to speak to a doctor or nurse after arrival compared with 15% in 2020.

The proportion who said they waited longer than four hours to be examined in 2022 was 17%, up from 4% in 2020.

Those who said they could “always” get help dropped from 58% in 2020 to 45% in 2022. Dr Sean O’Kelly, CQC’s chief inspector, said: “We cannot afford to ignore the decline shown in issues like waiting times, information provided when people go home, access to pain relief and emotional support.”

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Poll showed 37% of A&E users say it was the first service they went to (Getty Images)

The CQC says high call volumes and staff shortages in NHS 111 are leading more to go to A&E. In the poll 37% of A&E users said it was the first service they went to, or contacted.

Top reasons for going straight to A&E were that those questioned thought they might need tests at 40%, followed by being unsure their GP would be able to help at 24%.

Dr O’Kelly added: “Escalating demand for urgent and emergency care is impacting patients’ experience and increasing staff pressures to unsustainable levels. Staff are working extremely hard amidst challenging circumstances.”

NHS England said: “Since this survey was carried out, NHS staff have delivered significant improvements in performance with faster ambulance response times and a greater number of patients being seen in A&E within four hours in June.

Martin Bagot