Failing A&E times to be investigated

Monitor has said it will meet the board of South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust over persistent breaches of A&E targets.

The health sector regulator has said that the trust has failed to meet the four-hour waiting time target in five out of the last eight financial quarters.

The investigation is one of the first to take place under Monitor’s new provider licence regulatory regime which came into force on April 1.

Monitor is also investigating Poole Hospital, Aintree University Hospitals and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trusts.

Paul Streat, regional director for Monitor, said: “These trusts are experiencing problems and we are investigating at an early stage to find out why these problems have occurred.

“Monitor has not yet reached a view as to whether there has been any breach of the licence conditions.

“Patients expect to see their services run well and by investigating at this early stage we can make sure that the trusts are able to address any issues quickly and effectively.”

Glen Burley, chief executive of South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust, said an increase in South Warwickshire’s elderly population had led to “more complex patient needs”.

He added: “At Warwick Hospital our emergency admissions have increased by more than five per cent in each of the last two years. This was above the plan agreed with commissioners resulting in us narrowly missing the target in the second half of last year,”

Mr Burley said additional wards are being considered at Warwick Hospital and new agreements are being planned with GP commissioners, including further investment in community hospitals “to move patients who no longer need acute care”.

He added: “We’ll be working with Monitor to provide assurance that we are tackling these challenges effectively.”