Waiting times for A&E patients in England have slightly improved during February, figures show, giving a sense of “cautious optimism” amongst bosses, the BBC reports.
Following reports at the beginning of the year that waiting times in A&E were worsening under the strain of an “unprecedented” number of patients figures have shown a slight improvement this month.
The figures show that, between the 1st and the 8th February, 92.9% of patients were seen to within the recommended four hours, up from 92.3% the previous week. This is still below NHS England’s target, which requires 95% of patients to be seen within four hours, but improvements came despite a rise in the number of patients attending A&E, up from 401.000 to 407,400.
Dr Sarah Pinto-Duschinsky, of NHS England, said of the news: “A&E performance moved in the right direction week-on-week giving cause for cautious optimism, with more than nine out of 10 patients being admitted, treated and discharged within four hours.
“This has been achieved in the face of increased pressure on A&E with both the number of attendances and emergency admissions having gone up this week.”
Fiona Hedges, Clinical Negligence Solicitor at Clear Law said: “It is encouraging to see that there have been some improvements in waiting times at A&E units across England.
“Clearly, this is a step in the right direction and it is hoped that these figures will continue to improve. A drop in temperature during the winter months can contribute to higher numbers of respiratory illness, particularly in elderly people. However, what remains key is that patients feel safe in the knowledge they will be provided with the care and attention they need in the event of illness.”