NHS accused of ‘moving patients to hit A&E targets’

The NHS has been accused of moving patients on to wards in a bid to hit waiting time targets in accident and emergency (A&E) departments.

According to the Conservatives, data the party accessed under the Freedom of Information Act shows that hospitals have been admitting patients to ‘assessment wards’ to make it appear as though they have waited no longer than the target time of four hours or less.

Furthermore, some patients have even spent days waiting for treatment on these wards, the Conservative Party claimed.

Current health minister Gillian Merron hit back at the comments and stated that the “overwhelming majority” of A&E patients are seen within three hours.

She added that the Conservatives’ figures “are misleading and have been deliberately combined with those of assessment units, where patients who need further observation or investigation before a diagnosis can be made are treated”.

This news follows research carried out by the Nursing Times last month which showed that 40 per cent of nurses working for the NHS believe that waiting time figures are fiddled to meet the four-hour target.