Portsmouth MP Stephen Morgan has today said the Government must act to reduce waiting times across the NHS to prevent further burden on accident and emergency services across the country, following a visit to St Mary’s Urgent Treatment Centre.
It comes as NHS England revealed waiting lists had reached a record 7.6 million at the end of June. Meanwhile, NHS targets to admit, transfer, or discharge 95% of accident and emergency visits within four hours of arrival has not been met since 2012.
The burden on A&E is set to continue with this summer currently on track to be the busiest ever for hardworking NHS staff across the country, with 4.42 million attendances in A&E over June and July.
Mr Morgan paid a visit to St Mary’s Urgent Treatment Centre to explore how the service works to reduce pressure on A&E services in Portsmouth.
At St Mary’s, multidisciplinary practitioners can offer treatment, advice, and information for a range of minor injuries and illnesses which are too urgent for a doctor’s appointment, but do not require a hospital stay.
Staff shared that waiting times are considerably less than the emergency department at QA Hospital and after assessment, most patients can be seen and treated by nurse and paramedic practitioners on site.
The service acts to reduce the burden on Portsmouth’s A&E by shifting more minor injuries into the community, and therefore reducing waiting times for both types of emergencies.
Following the visit, commenting City MP Stephen Morgan said:
“The skilled practitioners at St Mary’s Urgent Treatment Centre deliver a vital service to the people of Portsmouth requiring emergency care for minor injuries.
It is increasingly evident under this Government that NHS waiting times have become life threatening to patients and have resulted in an overwhelming burden on emergency services.
With NHS waiting times some of the highest on record, and patients in Portsmouth waiting hours for hospital treatment in A&E, I am calling on the Government to stop sticking plaster solutions and deliver a long-term plan to prevent further burden on our NHS.”
A Labour Government has committed to taking these principles forward to ensure fewer patients need to go to hospital, shifting resources to social care, GPs, care at home and mental health services, reducing the cost of hospital care in the long-term.
