EXCLUSIVE: More than 900 patients wait 30 plus hours at York and Scarborough A&E during last six months
Our investigation has revealed the pressure facing our emergency departments
We're hearing how exceptionally long waits at York and Scarborough A&E are becoming "the new norm".
Our investigation's revealed in the first six months of this year - more than 900 people waited more than 30 hours.
NHS targets suggest 95% should be admitted, treated or discharged within four hours.
Ashely Green is the CEO of Healthwatch North Yorkshire: "The public are starting to accept this when actually they they shouldn't be. They should be demanding and expecting better care and not be expect to be waiting 10, 20 or 30 hours in in A&E."
But he says the whole system is under enormous pressure: "So the fact that people are going to A&E actually, maybe because of the lack of access to a GP, so people turning up at A&E maybe don't need to be."
What do the trust say?
In a statement York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said:
'Like hospitals across the country, our challenges in urgent and emergency care continue, with no indication that demand is reducing, and acuity (how acutely unwell a patient is), remains high.
“When people attend the emergency department, we conduct a preliminary assessment to determine the urgency of their need for treatment and the nature of treatment required. This helps us prioritise patients based on clinical urgency, so that we see the most seriously unwell people first. We recognise this means some patients spend longer in the emergency department and we are sorry for this.
“We continue to work closely with our system partners to make improvements so patients can be seen in the right place, with the right support, as quickly as possible. Our staff are working exceptionally hard in the most difficult of circumstances.'