Homerton University Hospital (HUH) was ranked best in London for A&E waiting times.
While most of England’s A&E departments grapple with the worst waiting times ever recorded this October, HUH was one of the few exceptions to the rule.
NHS data revealed that Hackney’s largest hospital ranked top in London for the number of patients waiting within the four-hour target time – missing the 95% target by only 1% – with 94% of patients treated and discharged within four hours.
Mark Purcell, spokesperson for HUH, said the hospital was “proud of our Emergency Department”.
Homerton’s A&E has consistently been one of the best performers in the country, rated as ‘outstanding’ in the latest Care Quality Commission inspection.
Mr Purcell said part of the ED’s success was that “the rest of the hospital is set up to support them. The patient process going through the hospital from A&E, to a bed in the ward and out the other end is pretty smooth”.
A recent patient at Homerton’s A&E spoke of his experience: “I was there for a few stitches in my finger from slicing it open cutting a butternut squash. I waited two hours… considering there were more important people to be seen I was pretty happy with that!”
For the rest of England, the NHS figures exposed some of the worst A&E performances since the four-hour target was introduced in 2004. Less than three quarters (74.5%) of people who sought care at A&E in October were seen within four hours. Other key targets were also missed, including patient waiting times for cancer care and non-urgent operations.
The statistics have added to increasing fears over the ability of the NHS to cope with the seasonal annual spike in demand in winter, but Purcell says pressure is now rising throughout the year: “What we’ve seen in the last five, ten years is that the pressure used to peak at Christmas and then ease off during summer, well, that easing off doesn’t ease off as much as it used to. Demand has been growing exponentially over the last 20 years.”
