Hospital bosses apologise for long waits

Bosses at Derby and Burton's hospitals have apologised to patients amid ongoing struggles to contain the number of people waiting more than 12 hours for emergency care.

The latest figures show that the number of patients staying for this length of time in the emergency department was 14% in November, almost three times the hospitals' 5% target.

The hospitals have struggled to consistently meet the target since 2024, but board papers note that its performance has deteriorated since August last year.

The chief executive of University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust (UHDB), Stephen Posey, told a board meeting: "Reducing waiting times is our absolute priority."

He said that "many of our patients are waiting longer than we want", adding that he was "sorry for that experience".

Elsewhere, 68% of patients were seen within four hours in A&E, against a target of 78%.

The figures also show that a quarter of ambulances breached the 45-minute handover in November.

The hospital said that a slight increase in patient numbers compared to last year, delays in discharging patients and industrial action were among the factors impacting their performance.

Paran Govender, chief executive operating officer at the hospitals, told the same meeting that one in two patients are currently experiencing delays.

Govender also spoke of efforts to improve cancer diagnosis outcomes after figures showed 58% of patients started treatment within 62 days, compared to a target of 74%.

UHDB has had to re-enter national regulatory oversight because of its performance in this area, which has deteriorated in the past year.

Dr James Woodard, medical director at the Royal Derby Hospital, said that "a number of problems combining" had contributed to a "really difficult period" going into the new year.

"We've seen an increase in the numbers of patients attending with slips, trips and falls following the cold weather, resulting in an increased need for orthopaedic and trauma services," he said.

"That's on the background of...a much earlier flu season with even higher numbers of patients being treated," he added, noting it is something "we haven't seen before."

On longer waits, Woodard insisted it was an area of priority for staff despite it becoming an "increasing challenge".

"We can assure people in Derbyshire that we are looking to work on that and we will not accept that as the new normal," he said.

"We've been under some unique strains here and the important thing at UHDB is that the colleagues here, everyone that works here, is really focused on trying to get to the patients early.

"Unfortunately we acknowledge that some patients are waiting longer than we would like...I absolutely, on behalf of myself and the organisation, apologise for those prolonged waits."

The impact long waiting times has on exacerbating health inequalities amongst those from more socially deprived areas is being reviewed.

The hospitals are trying new technologies to reduce waits for non-emergency appointments, including a new digital "bot" that automatically contacts patients when slots become available at short notice.

Other areas include a new standardised text reminder about appointments, which have resulted in 2,300 more patients being seen per month, compared to the same period last year.

The trust is also battling a forecast £28m deficit at the end of this financial year, something Posey described as a "material deterioration" that is being treated with the "utmost seriousness".

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