We have to make A&E target achievable, says Sandwell Hospital boss
A hospital boss has insisted the national NHS waiting time target is achievable - despite the fact most trusts in the country are failing to meet it.
Toby Lewis, chief executive of the trust which runs Sandwell Hospital, said having 95 per cent of patients seen within four hours was 'the right target' but that hospitals must be able to free up beds and retain enough staff to make meeting it realistic.
The trust's waiting times performance - the amount of patients seen within four hours - has hovered around the 80 per cent mark this year, while no other trust in the Black Country or Staffordshire is meeting the 95 per cent benchmark.
But Mr Lewis insisted complaining about the targets was not the right approach and that it was up to health chiefs to try and find a solution to problems stopping most hospitals from reaching them.
Luton and Dunstable is the only hospital trust in the country meeting A&E, cancer and operation targets set by the Government.
The Sandwell trust has set itself the target of reaching 95 per cent by January - a huge challenge with patients numbers expected to soar during winter.
From this month, A&E staff in Sandwell will be able to send patients directly to a GP if they think they are better off there, potentially freeing up staff and beds.
But the trust has also been hampered by the amount of staff leaving. While recruitment has improved, bosses are struggling to ensure the numbers coming
Mr Lewis said: "About 85 to 90 per cent of patients are now seen within four hours. It's not where we want to be.
"Nineteen out of every 20 patients coming into A&E should be able to be seen within four hours.
"In order to make it achievable on a consistent basis, the big issue is discharge from hospital and retaining staff in A&E. We need to have the right number of people on shift.
"But I think it's the right target.
"The pressure point is getting enough staff in place on a consistently and discharge is a really big issue.
He added: "The fact it's a problem everywhere indicates we have got a common problem.
"I remember when patients were waiting 12, 15, 18 hours and I don't want to get back to that.
"Whether the target is 93, 95 or 98 per cent we have got to fight to see every patient rapidly and I'm absolutely not giving up on that fight."
