'Data shows that Medway NHS Trust is improving' - say the Liberal Democrats
*Image by Alan Wells
Medway Liberal Democrats welcome the news from the BBC's NHS Tracker that shows that despite winter pressures, combined with Covid, Medway NHS Foundation Trust is performing well in providing local NHS provision. The tracker provides data on ambulance queues, A & E waits, and hospital bed waits.
For ambulance queues in the week 17 Jan to 23 Jan, patients waiting more than 30 minutes to be handed over to A&E staff the figure for the Trust was 6% of 754 arrivals, this compares to two years ago in the same week when the figure was 23% of 795 arrivals. The England average is 18 per cent.
For A&E waits, patients waiting longer than four hours in December, the figure for the Trust was 30% of 12,244 attendances, the Trust's figure two years ago was 30% of 12,164 attendances, the England average is 27%.
For Hospital bed waits, for patients without a bed on a ward within four hours of being admitted in December, the Trust's figure was 33% of 2,384 emergency admissions. This figure is an improvement on two years ago when the figure was 49% of 2,261 emergency admissions. The England average is 32%.
John Castle, Chair of Medway Liberal Democrats said "A combination of winter and Covid is placing a huge strain on hospitals in other regions, where patients are facing long waits for emergency treatment and wards are short of beds. This is why local Liberal Democrats recognise Medway Trust's improving services in the past year.
The BBC tracker shows that numbers for the Trust are improving and that it is good to see Medway moving out of emergency measures. Medway Liberal Democrats recognise the huge pressures that the Trust has had to cope with during the last few years. Rapidly growing urgent care demand, and serious staffing pressures. But thanks to the commitment of frontline staff, the Trust is performing well in some areas.
The hospital's emergency department - which has come under fire from the health watchdog, leading to it receiving the lowest rating from CQC should be commended, we would like to thank all NHS staff, after what is, one of the most challenging years in the history of the NHS."
ENDS
NOTES FOR EDITORS & ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Check out the BBC Website to enter your postcode to see how your local services are coping: link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-59549800
When you enter a postcode for a location in England you will be shown a list of NHS trusts in your area. They will not necessarily be in order of your closest hospital as some trusts have more than one hospital.
The NHS Tracker is one of the biggest projects that the Data Journalism team has at the BBC. It's also one of the pages that gets more users when is updated.
The project provides information about how the NHS Trusts or Boards - organisational units within the English / Welsh / Scottish / Northern Ireland Health Service that serves a geographical area and provide different services - are doing in comparison with the national targets.