Wolverhampton's New Cross Hospital fined £50k for A&E wait times

Staff at the under-pressure unit failed to see 95 per cent of patients within four hours between July and September this year.

The hefty fine has been administered by Wolverhampton Clinical Commissioning Group, which commissions health services in the city.

Between July and September 29,615 patients went through A&E's doors.

But just 92.7 per cent of those were seen within four hours.

The total was 2,071 higher than for the same period in 2013, but last year 95.6 per cent of patients were seen in time so the trust wasn't fined.

Wolverhampton's health system is stretched to its limits, with Showell Park Health and Walk in Centre closing its doors to the public recently as it had reached full capacity.

Patients were advised to attend A&E - among other options - during the three-hour closure earlier this month.

A&E continues to see record attendances, with numbers for September 10.4 per cent higher than last year.

The total fine will be a fraction over £50,000, but the trust which runs the hospital will also separately be fined £5,000 for missing September's target.

Tim Powell, deputy chief operating officer at the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, said of the latest figures: "The trust is anticipating a fine regarding the A&E situation.

"The main reasons for not hitting the 95 per cent target in quarter 2 is an increase of attendance to A&E.

"We've also seen an increase in patients attending A&E who are being conveyed by ambulance."

Bosses hope that a move to send all non-emergency surgery to Cannock Chase Hospital will help free up capacity and ease pressure on the hospital's emergency department.

This precedes a new £30m Emergency Centre opening at New Cross late next year, incorporating an A&E unit three times the size of the current one and a walk-in centre, as well as other primary care services.

A spokesperson from Wolverhampton CCG said: "The 95 per cent target for emergency departments to see patients within four hours is a national target and so CCGs are required to impose fines if it is not met.

"However, contractual fines are only one of a number of ways in which CCGs work with hospital trusts to improve A&E waiting times.

"We recognise that The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust has faced exceptional demands over the past few months and are jointly carrying out a major programme of work to develop a new urgent and emergency care centre.

"This will also bring walk-in and out of hours services under one roof, ensuring people are seen in the right place, the first time."