By Anna Whittaker, Local Democracy Reporter
Nottingham hospitals are dealing with more emergency patients than ever before.
A total of 18,613 people turned up to A&E in June 2021 – an increase of 313 on the previous month. In April, A&E saw 16,206 patients.
The Chief Operating Officer at Nottingham University Hospitals Rachel Eddie told a Trust Board meeting that “emergency activity was at the highest numbers ever seen”.
Board papers from the meeting also revealed that five emergency patients were left waiting on trolleys for 12 hours.
The papers stated: “Ms Eddie advised it was difficult to ascertain the reasons behind the increased Emergency Department (ED) attendance, although the increase was noted as [lockdown] restrictions were easing.”
In addition, board members were told longer waits caused knock-on problems, as emergency patients needed additional support to address mental health issues.
The papers also revealed that two-week cancer referral numbers were “still high”. Ms Eddie said the wait for cancer referrals may be because some patients were struggling to book face to face appointments with their GPs.
However, it was noted that the overall cancer backlog at the Trust, which includes Nottingham’s QMC and City hospitals, is reducing.
In a statement, NUH said it is continuing to do all it can to ensure patients receive high quality care during difficult circumstances.
