Our hospitals failing to hit key targets

Hospitals in our area are failing to meet targets in three key areas, new figures have revealed.
Burnley General HospitalBurnley General Hospital
Burnley General Hospital

The East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, which covers the Royal Blackburn, Burnley General and Pendle Community Hospitals, was below target for A and E, cancer care, and planned operations and care.

The Trust’s 95% target for people to be treated or admitted to A and E in four hours was well down with it hitting 84.1%. This was also below the national average of 85.1%.

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The Trust’s cancer care target of 85% of people being treated within 62 days of an urgent GP referral fell short at 80.7%. This again was below the national average of 82.5%.

On planned operations and care, the Trust performed a lot better with 91% of patients waiting less than 18 weeks, just 1% short of its target but still above the national average of 89.5%.

John Bannister, Trust Director of Operations said: “In common with the majority of Trusts across the country, we have been experiencing significant pressure with a high number of very sick patients seeking emergency medical attention. This is expected to continue throughout winter.

“Our A and E four-hour performance in December is evidence of how busy we are, although our staff worked extremely hard to ensure the Trust performance was comparable with hospitals across England.

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“Despite achieving all but one of the national cancer treatment standards in November, we continue to perform above average and expect all cancer standards to be met for December.

“More than nine out of 10 Trust patients underwent planned operations in 18 weeks or less during November. The Trust expects to have achieved the national target during December.

“All our patients can be assured that we make every effort to schedule their treatment on the earliest date possible. It’s important to recognise the superb contribution of our staff, and colleagues in primary care and the ambulance service.”

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