Record number of patients arrive at Salisbury A&E by ambulance
The NHS Trust say it has been "very busy"
Figures show that in the week to the 23rd January, a record number of patients were taken to A&E at Salisbury District Hospital by ambulance.
NHS data shows 297 people arrived at the trust, the highest number recorded since records for this winter began at the end of November.
Of the arrivals, 15% waited more than 30 minutes before being handed over to A&E staff, with 5% waiting more than an hour.
The NHS has a target of 15 minutes for ambulance handovers, but only delays longer than 30 minutes are recorded.
A spokesperson for the Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust says they're working to reduce handover times but they're "very busy":
"We have been very busy with urgent and emergency attendances to the hospital for a number of weeks now, this is being seen across the whole of the south west region and nationally.
Salisbury Hospital saw over 300 ambulances attend the Emergency Department in the past week with an average handover time of 17 minutes; we continue to work on reducing these ambulance handovers times with the ambulance service and partners to maximise the quality of care for all our patients.
We would urge everyone to only use A&E for emergency care, if people attend with minor injuries they may need to wait as staff will prioritise more serious cases and life threatening injuries. There are other routes to care via NHS 111 either online or on the phone, the Salisbury Walk In centre and GP out of hours service. And local community pharmacists can help with many minor ailments."
The data also shows an average of 105 staff were off sick because they had Covid-19 or were self-isolating due to the virus each day in the week to January 23rd – accounting for 56% of absences.
Across England, an average of 72,000 NHS workers were off sick, 42% due to Covid.
Professor Stephen Powis, NHS England’s national medical director, said:
“While it is positive to see more NHS staff back at work, pressure on the NHS is still intense, having seen the busiest week for ambulances taking patients to A&E since the start of December – all while pushing to deliver as many routine checks and procedures as possible, including vital diagnostic checks.
“Our staff have already had what feels like a long winter, but despite everything they have had to contend with, they continue to step up as they always do.”
At the Salisbury Trust, 419 beds were occupied each day on average to the 23rd – 96% of the 437 available.