Multiple alerts have been issued by Greater Manchester’s hospitals in recent days, warning of long delays across eight of the region’s A&E departments. But the flurry of alerts could be a result of the NHS striving to meet performance targets for March, fear senior health sources on the ground.
This week, patients have been warned to expect long delays in hospitals across Greater Manchester. Four of the region's NHS trusts, which run eight A&E departments in total, issued alerts to the public online on Tuesday (March 12).
However, the alerts come as pressure ramps up on hospitals across the country to hit the target of admitting, transferring or discharging people within four hours of their arrival at A&E in 76 per cent of cases in March. The alerts came in time with NHS finance chiefs offering millions of pounds to trusts operating hospitals to deliver better performance against that four-hour target.
This winter has seen much higher demand than in previous years, but instead of a major spike in demand in recent days, the pressure has been consistently high as previous weeks and months, say sources in hospitals across Greater Manchester.
Patients inside the affected A&Es have told the Manchester Evening News that they have been waiting hours at the start of the week, with patients being treated on corridors as emergency departments have been crammed. One Greater Manchester consultant told the M.E.N. how there have been patients waiting more than 12 hours to be seen in A&E, with waits for beds lasting more than a day.
But doctors on the ground say this is ‘no more busy than usual’, although the 'usual' has already been slammed as 'unsafe' by some Greater Manchester sources this winter. The Manchester Evening News. has reported on huge waits in A&Es across Greater Manchester throughout this winter which has been worse than recent years, according to other senior NHS sources.
Meanwhile, sources say there is ‘massive political pressure’ to meet the 76 per cent four-hour target – which one senior doctor called ‘unachievable’. The target was announced last January, but has been routinely missed, including in Greater Manchester.
Another source added that, ahead of an impending election, a strong A&E performance in March would allow a narrative of ‘we met the emergency target in 2023/24’ from the NHS and government, at the end of the financial year.
The alerts also came in time with NHS finance chiefs offering millions of pounds to trusts operating hospitals to deliver better performance against that four-hour target. NHS England confirmed an expansion of the criteria that would allow trusts to claim money from a £150m incentive fund.
A letter to trusts from NHS England, shared publicly yesterday, read: “The 10 trusts delivering the highest level of 4-hour performance during March will each receive £2 million.
“The 10 trusts who deliver the greatest percentage point improvement in March (compared to January 2024 performance) will each receive £2 million. The next 10 trusts who deliver the greatest percentage point improvement in March (compared to January 2024 performance) would each receive £1 million.”
Yesterday, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) and Northern Care Alliance (NCA) NHS Foundation Trust have both issued warnings to patients on their websites. MFT runs Manchester Royal Infirmary, North Manchester General Hospital and Wythenshawe Hospital, which all have A&E departments. Meanwhile, NCA runs Fairfield General Hospital in Bury, the Royal Oldham Hospital and Salford Royal.
The website for Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care, which runs Tameside Hospital, also issued a similar 'alert' - telling patients to 'please consider if ED is the best place for your situation'. Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the Royal Bolton Hospital, currently said the emergency department was 'experiencing very high levels of activity'.
The M.E.N. understands that the alerts about busy A&Es in Greater Manchester are issued in winter and throughout the year during times of high pressure, as well as some ‘constant’ messaging to encourage people to use services appropriately. One hospital added yesterday: "No matter how busy our emergency department is, the most seriously ill and injured patients will always be seen immediately. If you choose to visit us and do not need urgent or emergency treatment, you will be safely supported to access an alternative service."
NHS England declined to comment further.
