01.06.15
A&Es hit waiting time target for first time since September 2014
A&E departments in England have hit the four-hour waiting time target for the first time in eight months.
Figures for the week ending 24 May show 95.1% of A&E patients spent four hours or less from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge.
The 95% target had not been hit for 33 consecutive weeks, since late last September.
An NHS England spokesman said: "These latest figures are testament to the excellent services our frontline staff continue to deliver while coming under sustained pressure."
Just 94.2% of patients had been seen within the timeframe the previous week.
There were a total of 434,500 attendances at A&E, down from 440,700 a week earlier. Of these, 106,500 were emergency admissions, down from 107,200 a week earlier.
Dr Clifford Mann, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, told the BBC there was no room for complacency.
"There is still pressure on the system, which in our view is operating at full capacity."
He added that some A&E units were still not meeting the four-hour target as they are hindered by a shortage of hospital beds.
"This exit block must be addressed otherwise the winter of 2015-16 will be hugely challenging," he warned.
(Picture by: Rui Vieira / PA Wire)
Tell us what you think – have your say below, or email us directly at [email protected]