Newly released figures have exposed a concerning decline in emergency care performance across Birmingham's major hospitals, with fewer patients being seen within the crucial four-hour target.
Key Performance Figures Show Deterioration
Data presented to the board of the University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) NHS Foundation Trust confirmed that performance "deteriorated" in September compared to August. The trust's four-hour performance, which measures the percentage of patients discharged, admitted, or transferred within four hours of arrival, fell to 62.8% in September from 63.2% the previous month.
This leaves the trust significantly below its own target of improving this metric to 71% by March of next year, though board members insist they remain committed to that goal.
Longer Waits and Hospital Comparisons
The situation for patients facing the longest delays has also worsened. The number of people waiting more than 12 hours in A&E – known as 12-hour breaches – increased sharply. In September, 5,047 patients experienced these excessive waits, a rise of 291 from the 4,756 recorded in August.
Performance varied across the trust's three main Birmingham sites in September:
- Birmingham Heartlands Hospital was the best performer for the four-hour target at 63.5%.
- Queen Elizabeth Hospital recorded 59.3%.
- Good Hope Hospital had the lowest four-hour performance at 58.9%.
For the more severe 12-hour breaches, Good Hope also fared worst, with 16.4% of patients waiting over half a day. Heartlands had the lowest proportion at 13.2%, while Queen Elizabeth reported 14.3%.
Trust Leadership Acknowledges Ongoing Challenge
Iain Pickles, the trust's Chief Operating Officer, addressed the board's concerns directly. "We did see a deterioration in four-hour performance between August and September," he stated.
He added that while the situation did not worsen further in October, there had been no significant recovery either. Early data for November suggested a similarly stable but poor position. Mr Pickles expressed particular disappointment with the rise in 12-hour breaches, stating it was "not what we want to see," but noted that the proportion of patients facing these extreme waits had stabilised across September, October, and November.
The average time patients spent in emergency departments also increased, rising to 358 minutes in September from 347 minutes in August. This growing pressure on A&E services follows previous reports of ambulances being left queuing outside the same busy hospitals, highlighting a system under significant strain.
