More than 5,300 people went to St Mary’s Hospital last month seeking emergency treatment — 1,300 people than in the same month last year.
As pressures continue to rise, the latest figures from NHS England show 5,328 people visited the Isle of Wight’s emergency departments in March 2022, compared to 4,013 people in March 2021.
Waiting times
Of the 1,327 people who needed to be admitted urgently, 600 waited more than four hours for a hospital bed.
Data shows 34 people waited over 12 hours before being moved to a ward.
At A&E, 40 per cent of its 1,305 visitors faced a wait of more than four hours, before being treated or admitted.
However, all 2,075 people who went to the urgent treatment centre (UTC), which deals with minor injuries and is separate from A and E, were seen and treated or admitted within four hours.
Plea from NHS Trust
Earlier this month, the Isle of Wight NHS Trust issued an urgent plea for Islanders to only seek help in an emergency, amid a perfect storm of rising service pressures, increasing Covid-19 rates and demand for beds.
Significant and sustained pressures at St Mary’s Hospital meant health bosses were having to prioritise patients in most need of emergency care. Some were turned away and referred to more appropriate services.
Other hospitals in the country reached such high levels of pressure they declared critical incidents.
The advice from the NHS Trust is if you think you need A&E, call 111 first.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
Image: lydiashiningbrightly under CC BY 2.0
