Number of 12 hour waits at Torbay’s A&E shatters 1000 mark

Over 1000 patients have faced waits of 12 hours for A&E or more in Torbay and South Devon, shocking new figures have revealed. 

The statistics - released this week by NHS England - show the number of people who waited more than 12 hours from arriving at A&E to being admitted, transferred or discharged in October of this year.

In Torbay and South Devon, 1010 people waiting to be seen did so for over 12 hours - 15.2% of all those attending A&E. 

A&E waits of this length can be dangerous, even fatal. The Royal College of Medicine warned that delays to accessing care, or to being admitted to hospital, can “increase a patient’s risk of harm and death” - even after they are discharged from emergency services. 

Torbay’s Liberal Democrats are calling urgently for a rescue plan for local health services, including immediately exempting GPs and care providers from the Chancellor’s NICs hike. This would help reduce pressure on overstretched hospitals and ambulance services.

Responding to the figures, Liberal Democrat MP for Torbay Steve Darling said:

“I’m deeply concerned by the number of people facing long, dangerous delays in A&E here in Torbay. Timely care can save lives, but too many are waiting too long for attention.

“The Conservatives ran our NHS into the ground, decimating emergency services up and down the country. They said they were going to give Torbay a multi-million pound upgrade. But they didn’t. It was another one of their broken promises.

“I’m campaigning hard to make sure Torbay gets the hospital funding it so desperately needs

"The new Government must urgently get a grip of this crisis and bring forward a plan to rescue our struggling health services. They must start by exempting GPs, care homes, and other health and care providers from their NI tax hike, which risks making this crisis even worse."