Ipswich: Patient Waits For More Than 11 Hours In A&E

28 January 2014, 15:02 | Updated: 28 January 2014, 15:49

Figures out earlier show a patient spent more than 11 hours in the A and E department at Ipswich hospital, before being treated.

The figure is from back in November, when hospital bosses say it was particularly busy because of rising winter illnesses.

The target set by the government is for patients to be seen within four hours, however in this particular occasion it nearly trebled.

Ipswich hospital's Chief Operating Officer Neil Maloney told Heart it was a one off situation and it won't happen again.

He said: "As we started to approach the winter period, our waiting times were longer than we would have liked. 

"Since around mid-December we've seen some very, very good improvements in our performance for our emergency department, and during January we've been hovering around second, third and fourth across the country so the performance has been exemplary."

Heart's Annie Green Speaks To Chief Operating Officer Neil Maloney

"Obviously an 11 and a half hour wait is completely unacceptable but I am assured that in reviewing the waiting time for that patient and their condition there wasn't any significant impact on their clinical outcome as a result of that waiting time.

"Particularly on that day our waiting times were longer than we'd have liked but any patient who came in with a more serious illness would have been seen and prioritised."