Hundreds of patients in Suffolk wait 12 hours for A&E care

NHS England figures show how long patients wait to be seen in A&E.

The two major hospital trusts in our region are the North Essex and East Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT), which manages hospitals in Ipswich and Colchester, and the West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, which controls West Suffolk Hospital.

Between April and March, 6,119 patients at ESNEFT hospitals waited more than 12 hours.

An ESNEFT spokesperson said waits of more than 12 hours are mainly caused by delays in finding beds and the complex needs of patients requiring specialist mental-health support.

They said the launch of a new electronic patient record between October and December brought a period of adjustment, despite its long-term benefits.

At WSFT, 3,714 patients waited 12 hours or more – although the number is not directly comparable to ESNEFT’s total, as WSFT runs only one hospital.

At both trusts, more than 100 patients waited over 12 hours every month.

January was the worst month for both trusts, with 744 ESNEFT patients and 622 WSFT patients waiting more than 12 hours.

The national target is to see 95 per cent of A&E patients within four hours, while the minimum standard is 78 per cent.

ESNEFT’s figures stayed in the 70 per cent range. Its best month was April 2025, when 78 per cent of patients were seen within four hours, while October was its worst, at 70 per cent.

WSFT’s figures fluctuated more widely.

Its best months were April and May, when 81.3 per cent of patients were seen within four hours.

January was its worst month, with 67.9 per cent of patients seen within four hours.

The data included the statistics for West Suffolk Hospital. (Image: Newsquest)

Mike Meers is the managing director of ESNEFT. (Image: ESNEFT)

ESNEFT managing director Mike Meers said he was encouraged by the fall in patients waiting more than 12 hours during the year’s first few months, reflecting “the ongoing, hard work of our teams to reduce delays and improve patient care and experience”.

He added: “We continue to focus on reducing corridor waits and improving patient flow in our hospitals.”

Deputy chief operating officer for WSFT, Matt Keeling, said: “Like all NHS Trusts, we experience periods of high demand on our services, particularly during the winter with the rise in illnesses such as flu. I apologise to every patient who experiences a long wait for care in our emergency department and our teams work hard to minimise waiting times as much as possible.

“Ahead of the expected pressures we will experience, we have continued to develop our plans to ensure our services provide the care our patients need as quickly as possible.”

He urged everyone eligible to get a flu jab and use NHS 111 or a local pharmacy for minor illnesses.

Ambulance handover delays have also affected both trusts: in the week ending 5 January 2025, 71.1% of patients at ESNEFT and 47.5% at West Suffolk waited at least 30 minutes.