Strictly embargoed until: 00.01 Wednesday 1st August, 2001

Older people are waiting more than an hour and half longer in Casualty than younger people ACHCEW report shows

 

A nationwide snapshot of waiting times, conducted in over 200 hospital accident and emergency units has revealed an enormous disparity in waiting times between the under and over 60s. The average waiting time for the under 60s was 2 hours 51 minutes, compared to 4 hours 34 minutes for those over 60. The report also showed significant regional variations. Average waiting times in London and the South East were almost 2 hours higher than the average for England, Wales and Northern Ireland as a whole (see attached breakdowns).

The Report, Nationwide Casualty Watch, is produced by The Association of Community Health Councils for England and Wales (ACHCEW), the statutory national representative of the public’s interest in the NHS.

ACHCEW’s Director, Donna Covey said:

"These figures are a cause for serious concern. It's not clear why older people are spending so much more time in A&E departments than younger patients. In some circumstances it may be that there are good clinical reasons but factors such as a lack of places in nursing homes, transportation problems or problems with social service provision may also be causing unnecessarily long waits. There is a clear need for further investigation into this issue.

"The regional results, highlight once again the enormous disparities in waiting times that exist in the UK. Patients in London and the South East are facing Casualty waits almost 2 hours longer than the average in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. They are clearly getting a raw deal."

Jonathan Ellis, Health Policy Officer at Help the Aged said:

"Help the Aged is saddened and disappointed to see that older people continue to be waiting for prolonged periods in Accident and Emergency Departments, despite the Government's promise to reduce waiting times in A&E by 2004. Furthermore older people are waiting longer than any other group of patients in A&E, often much more than the Government's target of four hours. This inequity must be addressed as a matter of urgency.

"Help the Aged welcomes the research by the Association of Community Health Councils, and hopes that it will help to ensure that older people receive a fair deal in casualty departments right across the country. "

-ends-

For press enquiries please contact: Murray Benham at ACHCEW on - 020 7609 8138

For copies of Nationwide Casualty Watch 2001 (price £10) please contact Estelle Kiss on - 020 7609 8405

email: murray.benham@achcew.org.uk

website: www.achcew.org.uk

Rachel Harford - Help the Aged

on - 0207 239 1943

Notes to Editors

 

 

Nationwide Casualty Watch 2001 – Average Waiting Times

Analysis of the waiting times by region shows wide variations between the regions in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The average waiting time for patients in A&E departments in England, Wales and Northern Ireland was 3 hours and 32 minutes. The highest average waits for patients was in the London and South Eastern Regions, where the average waits were almost two hours higher than for England, Wales and Northern Ireland as a whole. The lowest average waiting time (1 hour 38 minutes) was in Wales.

All Patients

Patients Over 65

Region name

Count

Average wait hrs:mins

Count

Average wait hrs:mins

London

673

5:21

256

6:03

South Eastern

684

5:19

272

6:38

Eastern

280

3:19

104

3:38

South and West

253

3:03

94

3:27

North West

606

2:50

215

3:34

West Midlands

357

2:34

132

3:03

Northern and Yorkshire

445

2:12

146

2:35

Trent

201

2:11

48

2:37

Northern Ireland

255

2:10

79

2:37

Wales

139

1:38

48

2:00

England, Wales and Northern Ireland

3893

3:32

1394

4:20

 

An analysis of the average waiting times by age reveals that patients 60 years and over waited longer than patients in other age groups and that there was a tendency for the average wait to increase with age.

Age Group

Count

Average wait hrs:mins

% in group

0 (Not Known)

45

3:33

1.2%

1 (<16)

506

1:40

13.0%

2 (16 - 39)

1063

2:50

27.3%

3 (40 - 59)

747

3:41

19.2%

4 (60 - 69)

383

4:53

9.8%

5 (70 - 79)

546

4:22

14.0%

6 (80+)

603

4:34

15.5%

Total

3893

3.35