Chichester and Worthing A&Es ranked fourth best in country

More than 96 per cent of people who attended Accident & Emergency in Chichester and Worthing over the past 12 months were seen, treated, admitted or discharged in under four hours.
The A&E team celebrating winning an award in 2014The A&E team celebrating winning an award in 2014
The A&E team celebrating winning an award in 2014

The statistic, announced at a board meeting on Thursday, March 31, confirms the acute trust which runs A&Es in Worthing Hospital and St Richard’s as one of the country’s very best-performing organisations.

The most recent national data available ranks Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs both hospitals, fourth in the country in terms of A&E performance.

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Trust chairman Mike Viggers said: “Achieving 96 per cent against a back drop of ever-increasing demand for our emergency services is truly impressive and credit must be given to all the trust’s staff in every department who work so hard to prioritise high-quality care for patients.”

Last year, Western Sussex was one of only 20 acute trusts in the country to successfully deliver the four-hour A&E target.

Over the past 12 months emergency attendances have continued to rise, peaking at an increase of 15.9 per cent year-on-year in February.

While the four-hour target relates to waiting times in A&E, it is a genuine reflection of how the whole hospital system is working, with staff proactively managing patient flow from admission to discharge.

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Marianne Griffiths, chief executive, said: “Our staff have worked incredibly hard to achieve this hugely impressive result, this year helping more patients than ever before.

“Across the country, 2015/16 has been probably the worst ever year for A&E performance with the national average falling below 85 per cent, so we are immensely proud of the exceptional standards we continue to provide to the people we serve.

“I would like to thank everyone who has helped us throughout the year by accessing health services appropriately and calling NHS 111 for non-urgent treatment. Thank you.”

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