The NHS in Greater Manchester is mired by strikes; a 'twindemic' of flu and Covid; collapsing social care; and more emergency department attendances than ever before.
The crisis is resulting in tragic consequences, according to staff, who say patients are languishing in A&Es for days at a time, their conditions worsening all the time.
The same problems have taken hold of hospitals across England, as reports have flooded in of patients dying in emergency departments as they suffer huge waits for treatment. Doctors say demand is far outstripping capacity - amid chronic NHS staff shortages, there simply are not enough pairs of hands or beds to cope with the onslaught of very sick people.
Making matters worse, social care resources are spread so thinly that hundreds of medically fit patients ready for discharge cannot be sent home for 'weeks' at a time, as there will be no help to keep them safe and monitor them when they leave hospital. This has created a severe bed shortage, meaning there is no room left for patients coming through A&E and being brought in by ambulances - prompting huge queues of blue light vehicles.
READ MORE: In tears as the NHS crumbles
Amid new data released by the NHS, our data unit has created a tool which readers can use to check what the current waiting times are in their areas. All you need to do is put in your postcode and the information will be shown.
Readers simply enter their postcode, pick their local trust, and see how it’s coping in the current crisis.
NHS trusts across England are failing to meet their targets on a number of key factors. All ambulance services failed to meet their category one and two response time targets in December.
Meanwhile, 75 per cent of trusts failed to meet their A&E waiting time targets in December. And a total of 155 out of 168 trusts in England failed to meet their waiting list targets in November.
This is how the situation stands in Greater Manchester:
Ambulance waiting times
All ambulance services in England are failing to meet their category one and two response time targets.
The NHS target for category one calls - those for the most life threatening injuries - response times is seven minutes.
At North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust they are responded to in an average of 9 minutes 58 seconds.
The average in England is 10 minutes 57 seconds.
The target for category two calls - which include things like heart attacks and strokes - is 18 minutes.
At North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust they are responded to in an average of 1 hour 12 minutes.
The average in England is 1 hour 32 minutes.
In our area category three calls are responded to in an average of 5 hours 16 minutes, compared to a national average of 4 hours 19 minutes, while category four calls are responded to in an average of 6 hours 14 minutes compared to a national average of 4 hours 35 minutes.
A&E waiting times
All of the trusts in Greater Manchester failed to meet their A&E waiting time targets in December.
A&Es aim to deal with 95 per cent of attendances within four hours.
Across England, just 65 per cent were processed in that time.
This is how the A&Es in our area have fared:
- Bolton NHS Foundation Trust (49 per cent)
- Stockport NHS Foundation Trust (51 per cent)
- Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (52 per cent)
- Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (53 per cent)
- Tameside And Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust (58 per cent)
- Wrightington, Wigan And Leigh NHS Foundation Trust (64 per cent)
Waiting lists
Five out of six trusts in Greater Manchester failed to meet their waiting list targets in November. The target is for 92 per cent of patients to be on waiting lists to start treatment for no longer than 18 weeks from referral.
Across England, only 60 per cent of the waiting list have been on there for fewer than 18 weeks, meaning 40 per cent have been waiting too long for treatment to start. The waiting list in England is currently 6,926,635 people long.
This is the situation in our region:
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, the largest trust in England including Manchester Royal Infirmary, Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Wythenshawe Hospital and more, isn’t included in this list as they did not submit data to the NHS.
- Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (147,756 people, 50 per cent under 18 weeks)
- Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust (45,023 people, 59 per cent under 18 weeks)
- Stockport NHS Foundation Trust (44,175 people, 50 per cent under 18 weeks)
- Bolton NHS Foundation Trust (38,386 people, 61 per cent under 18 weeks)
- Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust (20,525 people, 60 per cent under 18 weeks)
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust (2,909 people, 98 per cent under 18 weeks)
What does Greater Manchester's NHS say about the crisis?
Mark Fisher, chief executive, NHS Greater Manchester today (January 13) said: “All aspects of the NHS are still experiencing immense pressure. We are seeing a reduced number of beds available in our hospitals, increased demand for GP appointments and staffing pressures for pharmacies and dental practices. Despite the challenges, staff across the system are working exceptionally hard to provide quality care to the public during a challenging time.
“It’s important that the public know that the NHS is there for them when they are unwell, particularly with more strike action planned for the coming week. The best way to help us cope with this pressure and ensure you are treated as quickly as possible, is to consider which NHS service is best for you.
"Please continue to make use of NHS 111 online, and only attend A&E and contact 999 in a genuine emergency, particularly on days of industrial action, so that urgent care resources can be given to those who need it.
“Additionally, as cases of flu this year remain high, we can keep more people out of hospital by ensuring that those who are eligible come forward for their vaccine. We have delivered 851,676 flu vaccines in Greater Manchester so far this winter.
"Please do not underestimate how serious flu can be, particularly to those who are vulnerable, and get the vaccine to protect yourself and your loved ones.”
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