Nearly half of the patients who attended the A&E departments at Greater Manchester’s biggest trust last month waited longer than four hours to be seen.
More than 15,600 patients at major Emergency Departments at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust - which includes North Manchester General, MRI, Wythenshawe and Manchester Children’s Hospital - waited longer than the target time to be admitted, transferred or discharged in October.
That equates to 47 per cent. Meanwhile, 84 patients waited longer than 12 hours to be admitted across all A&E departments.
Across all the trusts in the region, nearly 42,000 patients of the 96,000 patients who attended waited longer than the target time at major Emergency departments.
The NHS figures, released on Thursday, place statistical weight behind repeated warnings from medics, many of whom have shared their concerns with the Manchester Evening News, about pressures on the system.
Alongside the figures for ambulance waits released by the North West Ambulance Service, also on Thursday, they paint a concerning picture as the health service braces for winter.
The Manchester Evening News told last week how hospitals are struggling under pressure as general beds fill up with Covid-19 patients - leaving people waiting hours longer than they should for emergency help in A&E.
During the pandemic some people did not seek the help they needed because of concerns around the virus or a desire not to add to the pressures the NHS was facing. Some of these cases have now become more serious.
And as infection rates remain high, patients are 'staying in hospital for longer', according to the region's health bosses.
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It's all reflected in the figures.
A concerning 433 patients waited longer than 12 hours for admission following a decision to admit at Northern Care Alliance hospitals - which include Salford Royal Hospital, The Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary and Fairfield General Hospital in Bury.
At the same hospitals, just 57pc of patients were seen within four hours.
Royal Bolton A&E saw 62pc of its patients within four hours, while Stockport managed 63pc, Tameside 57pc and Wigan 58pc.
What the NHS in Greater Manchester say:
“Like other areas of the country accident and emergency departments, and more broadly hospitals, across Greater Manchester have been under sustained pressure for some time with a large number of people seeking help.
“This high demand has meant some patients are waiting longer than we would like for a hospital ward bed after a decision to admit them has been made – this is impacting on waiting times in emergency departments.
“In order to ease some of this pressure, work is taking place to make sure people are being discharged from hospital as soon as is safe to do so. This will improve the flow of patients through our hospitals and go some way to reduce the length of waits.
“Patient safety remains our top priority, but the public can support us by considering the most appropriate options, contacting NHS 111 first or visiting NHS online to be advised of the best healthcare provider for their needs.”
