Official figures for NHS waiting times in Bristol show services are at “breaking point”, says UNISON

“NHS services in Bristol are being severely underfunded and we are facing a health care crisis.”

New figures show patients across Bristol are waiting longer to be treated in A&E than many other parts of the country, while the number who leave without treatment is over double the national average.

Data released by NHS Digital shows some patients attending A&E at North Bristol NHS Trust are having to wait over 11 hours before receiving treatment. The figures also reveal patients admitted by ambulance have had to wait more than three and a half hours for an initial assessment by accident and emergency department staff at the trust.

Across the NHS in England, the average proportion of patients who have left A&E departments before being seen for treatment is just 2.1%, while at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust the figure is 5% – over double the national average.

UNISON South West regional secretary Joanne Kaye said:

“NHS services in Bristol are being severely underfunded and we are facing a health care crisis. The dedication of the whole team of NHS staff is beyond question, but a decade of cuts is taking a terrible toll on health care services across the county.”

“These new figures show NHS services have reached breaking point in Bristol. You can’t remove the nursing bursary, threaten the contribution of migrant workers and chronically underfund the NHS without a damaging impact on staff and patients.”

The full data set from NHS digital is available here