Our view
We issued our media response to the latest data from NHS England in September 2024. The data, published on the same day as the Lord Darzi investigation of the NHS in England, further highlights the scale of the challenge facing the health service.
Data from August confirms it has been an incredibly busy summer across urgent and emergency care services. Attendances at A&E departments reached June, July and August records and there were 20,000 more category 1 and 2 ambulance incidents compared to last summer.
High demand continues in elective care too, with a record number of urgent cancer referrals seen in July. The mental health and community sectors also paint the same picture. New referrals in secondary mental health services were the second highest ever, and in June, community services received 50% more referrals than the same period before the pandemic.
September's data also shows trusts are increasing activity and improving performance against national targets. For the third month running, trusts improved their performance on seeing patients within four hours in A&E, moving closer to the 78% target by March 2025. Meanwhile, ambulance trusts met their category 2 response time target of 30 minutes for the first time since April 2023.
Record levels of activity were seen across 28, 31 and 62 day cancer pathways, and the highest ever number of diagnostic tests were carried out. Mental health care contacts were over 2.3 million, nearly 20% higher than five years ago before the pandemic. Community services have consistently recorded over 8.5 million monthly care contacts during the first half of 2024, which has never happened before.
September's data does however show an increase in the number of waits for elective care and community services, demonstrating the longer-term challenge for waiting lists set out in the Lord Darzi report. With the 10-year plan for the NHS on the horizon, trust leaders are ready and willing to work with the government to get to grips with the challenges facing the health and social care system. The themes explored in Lord Darzi's report, of re-engaging staff and empowering patients, shifting care closer to home, driving productivity, investing in technology, and contributing to economic prosperity are a step in the right direction. They must go hand in hand with sustainable funding and investment, an end to chronic workforce shortages and more capital investment to boost productivity and meet growing demand.
New urgent treatment centre helping to reduce waiting times
Fran Bowden, senior clinical general manager for emergency care at South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, explains how the new Urgent Treatment Centre at The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough is helping to reduce waiting times.
More than 25,000 patients have been seen at The James Cook University Hospital's Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) since it opened its doors back in April.
Situated next to the emergency department, the UTC is open 24 hours a day and is already helping to relieve pressure on the hospital's busy A&E and reduce waiting times.
There are now four UTCs across the Teesside – Middlesbrough, Stockton, Hartlepool and Redcar – jointly ran by an alliance of four health organisations – North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) and Hartlepool and Stockton Health (H&SH) GP Federation.
Since the UTC launched at James Cook the main emergency department has seen a 23% reduction in attendances, but overall, it remains very busy.
The urgent and emergency care department is now meeting the national NHS target for 78% of attendances to be seen within four hours.
The other great news for patients is they can now access the same care and treatment for minor illnesses and injuries at all four centres including:
- strains and sprains
- suspected broken limbs
- minor head injuries
- cuts and grazes
- bites and stings, minor scalds and burns
- ear and throat infections
- skin infections and rashes
- eye problems
- coughs and colds
- feverish illness
- abdominal pain
- vomiting and diarrhoea
- urinary tract infections.
While we are seeing fewer people coming into the main emergency department the people we are treating are very poorly and require more attention, so we are still very busy.
But the UTCs are helping to ensure people get the right help, at the right time, and in the right place, freeing up A&E for those who need it most.
Patients should continue to contact their GP, pharmacist or 111 for non-urgent health issues, but if they have a minor illness or injury that needs urgent attention, the UTCs are here to help.
The centres at James Cook, University Hospital of North Tees and University Hospital of Hartlepool are open 24/7, while the UTC at Redcar Primary Care Hospital is open from 8am to 12 midnight.
Patients who are unwell and need to access urgent care at any of the Teesside centres are advised to visit 111.nhs.uk or call NHS 111 first so an appointment can be made where appropriate. For minor injuries patients can walk into all four centres without an appointment.
To find out more visit South Tees Hospitals and NHS Foundation Trust.