Oxford A&E departments 'incredibly busy' this Christmas

Oxford University Hospitals Trust said its A&E departments at the John Radcliffe Hospital and Horton General Hospital in Banbury were “incredibly busy” coming into the festive period.

The trust urged patients with minor injuries to avoid A&E and use other services to ease pressure.

READ MORE: Man suspected of Oxford 'murder' killed in M25 crash

It comes after figures revealed the trust’s emergency departments were underperforming compared to NHS standards.

Just three out of five Oxfordshire A&E patients were seen within four hours in October, according to NHS England data.

Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds said it was “unacceptable” that patients were waiting so long to get the treatment they needed.

Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds The trust said more patients were attending its emergency departments, that they were more unwell, and they required more treatment.

Winter pressures are faced by A&E departments across the UK as more people require emergency care with conditions brought on by cold weather and viruses.

But with patient backlogs at a record high in Oxfordshire and stress-related staff absences up by 15 per cent, the trust has warned of extra pressure at its emergency departments.

Emergency medicine matron Katy Mimpress said: “Our hospitals are incredibly busy at the moment, especially both of our emergency departments.

“We’re working with our health and social care colleagues to try and alleviate the pressures, but we would ask you to consider utilising other services, such as NHS 111, that may be able to signpost you to local services such as your GP or a minor injuries unit.

“The emergency department is for genuine medical emergencies.

“If you attend with something that is more of a minor complaint, you may wait a considerable amount of time.

“We are trying to see you as quickly as possible and with respect and kindness and we would ask that you treat us with the same.

“We do not accept any form of abuse.”

READ MORE: Wantage man in court charged with child pornography

High levels of flu and Covid have increased pressure on the trust’s hospitals, which also include Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre.

In the last few weeks, the number of patients being treated with Covid at the hospitals has risen.

It comes at a time when stress-related staff absences have spiked at Oxfordshire hospitals – up 15 per cent from last year – heaping further pressure on emergency departments.

The latest NHS England data from October showed there were 15,964 visits to A&E in Oxfordshire in October, and just 9,845 were seen within four hours.

That accounts for 62 per cent of arrivals, short of the NHS standard of 95 per cent.

The John Radcliffe is in the constituency of Labour MP Mrs Dodds, who blamed government inaction for the long wait times in Oxfordshire.

She said: "I know that local NHS staff are working really hard at the moment as our hospitals are already very busy.

“It's unacceptable that they are under so much pressure and that patients are also having to wait for so long for the treatment they need.

“We should be acting right now to deliver out-of-hours treatment by providing proper overtime to NHS staff (freeing up two million more operations and procedures), improving NHS technology like scanners, and opening up access to NHS dentistry - a key reason why many kids end up being taken to A&E.

“Labour would pay for these measures by scrapping the non-domicile tax exemption - because if you live here, you should pay tax here.”

But Robert Courts, Conservative MP for Witney and West Oxfordshire, said the Government had committed to improving A&E wait times.

He said: "I am incredibly grateful to our wonderful NHS staff here in Oxfordshire who work round the clock to look after us all throughout the year. 

“During the festive period, we must do our best to keep the pressure off our emergency rooms to ensure those who really need it receive the appropriate care. 

“This year as the NHS celebrated its 70th birthday, the government was pleased to set out the NHS Long Term Plan.

“Included in this plan, I was reassured to see that NHS England has committed to delivering year-on-year improvements in A&E wait times, through improved access to GP services and the primary care recovery plan, all aimed at alleviating pressures on our emergency rooms.”

Sara Randall, the trust's chief operating officer, said: “Winter is a challenging time for the NHS up and down the country, and our Emergency Departments at the John Radcliffe and Horton General Hospitals are very busy.

“This is down to a number of factors, including an increase in patients attending our emergency departments, and the patients who do attend being more unwell and requiring more treatment."