Patients waiting too long at A&E

Seriously ill and injured patients at New Cross Hospital are waiting too long to be seen in accident and emergency – with the situation worsening in recent weeks, a new report reveals.

The latest figures revealed at a meeting of the hospital's trust board today show the majority of such patients waited up to 52 minutes for an initial assessment by a nurse in September.

This is almost 10 minutes longer than in August, when the majority waited up to 43 minutes.

NHS targets state such patients should be seen in under 15 minutes to reduce risks.

An initial assessment determines the priority patients are given.

The delays are on top of the time it takes doctors to treat or admit a patient to the hospital.

During September the average wait for treatment or admission was one hour and 12 minutes.

This means an average wait of more than two hours.

Delays in the hospital's accident and emergency department have been an issue since October 2010.