Grim results of MP Sarah Champion’s NHS survey

THREE-quarters of ambulance calls took longer than the target time and nearly two-thirds of patients in A&E waited more than four hours for treatment, a survey by MP Sarah Champion found.

The study also found two-fifths of respondents were unhappy with their treatment in A&E and a third had not been able to make a GP appointment within the past year.

The Rotherham MP described some of the findings of her study — which she launched after receiving increasing numbers of concerns from constituents — as “shocking”.

She added: “Patients are facing long waits, from ambulances to non-urgent care.

“The NHS is struggling under escalating burdens and an abject failure to provide the resources it needs to deliver for patients.”

The research revealed 73 per cent of category one emergency ambulance calls — the most severe level — in Rotherham took longer than the target average time of seven minutes, and 76 per cent of category two calls exceeded the 18-minute target.

Almost two-thirds of patients visiting A&E waited over four hours for treatment (the national target which Rotherham Hospital is not currently measured by), while 41 per cent did not feel they received satisfactory treatment in the department.

One in ten of respondents (11.39 per cent) had found it difficult to register with an NHS dentist, while for 17 per cent it had been impossible.

More than a third (36 per cent) could not make a GP appointment in Rotherham in the last year, while only just over half (51 per cent) felt mental health support had met their expectations.

The study found the cost of living crisis had also been felt by respondents, with two-thirds saying it affected both their physical and mental health.

Ms Champion said the survey, which ran over the course of a month and garnered 712 responses, identified key challenges constituents face accessing NHS services, and would be a “real asset” in lobbying the government for more resources and funding to improve NHS provision.

Ms Champion added: “The NHS is our most treasured national institution and I urge the government to act now to ensure my constituents and others across the country can access the high standard of care from the NHS that they deserve.”

Dr Jason Page, medical director for Rotherham Place at NHS South Yorkshire, said Rotherham health services had come under extreme pressure over the winter period.

“We are aware of the impact this has had on our residents when they need to access services and acknowledge the findings from the survey,” he said.

“We continue to work across our health and care system to ensure that patients are able to access the appropriate support and advice to meet their health needs in a timely manner.”

Rotherham Hospital’s chief executive, Dr Richard Jenkins, said: “Improving the timeliness of care and the experience of patients is very important to us.

“The pandemic has had a major impact on timeliness of care across the NHS.”

Mr Jenkins said work was underway to ensure the hospital smoothly returned to the four-hour A&E target.

A spokesperson for Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust apologised, saying all NHS trusts were experiencing “a protracted period of operational pressures”.

They added: “This has been exacerbated by handover delays at a number of busy hospitals across the Yorkshire region, and we are continuing to work closely with our partners to address this issue, as well as reduce waiting times for those needing an emergency ambulance response in our communities.”

The Department for Health and Social Care was approached for a comment but did not respond.