Doctors strikes hits NHS Manchester Trust with less than three quarters of patients seen within four hours
Less than three-quarters of patients who arrived at accident and emergency at the Manchester Trust last month were seen within four hours, new figures show.
The period covered by these figures includes five days of strike action by resident doctors, who staged a walkout as part of an ongoing dispute with the Government over pay.
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 extended its objective for 78% of patients to be admitted, discharged or transferred within this time frame by March 2026.
Recent NHS England figures show there were 45,915 visits to A&E at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust in July. Of them, 34,128 were seen within four hours – accounting for 74% of arrivals.
Figures also show 35,467 emergency admissions waited more than 12 hours in A&E departments from a decision to admit to actually being admitted – down from 38,683 in June.
The number waiting at least four hours from the decision to admit to admission also fell, standing at 115,542 in July, down from 118,171 in June.
At Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, 2,592 patients waited longer than four hours, including 101 who were delayed by more than 12 hours.
The British Medical Association, which staged the strike action from July 25-30, has since agreed a "window for negotiations" with Health Secretary Wes Streeting.
A joint statement from Dr Ross Nieuwoudt and Dr Melissa Ryan, co-chairs of the union’s resident doctors committee, said: "We reminded Mr Streeting of the urgent need to provide enough jobs for doctors and bring an end to the current situation where thousands of resident doctors apply for far too few roles, leaving many unable to progress their careers and go on to be our future consultants, GPs and other specialist doctors.”
Adding: "We are working to ensure strike action does not need to be repeated and will give time to explore solutions. However, doctors and patients both deserve a resolution sooner rather than later."
Dr Nick Murch, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: "Clinicians across the UK are reporting this week as one of the worst they have experienced, with no sign of the brief respite seen in the immediate aftermath of recent strike action, yet there remains no tangible and immediate action to address urgent workforce and capacity issues."
About 2.4 million people attended A&E departments across England last month.
The overall number of attendances to A&E at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust in July was a rise of 4% on the 44,176 visits recorded during June, and 2% more than the 44,941 patients seen in July 2023.