Thousands of Suffolk A&E patients wait over 12 hours for care

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 20 Oct, 07:02 · Archive

Thousands of patients in Suffolk A&E departments waited more than 12 hours for care over a 12-month period.

NHS England data has revealed that thousands of patients in Suffolk waited more than 12 hours in A&E departments over a 12-month period from April to March. North Essex and East Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT), which manages hospitals in Ipswich and Colchester, saw 6,119 such patients, while West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (WSFT) recorded 3,714, though this figure is not directly comparable as WSFT runs only one hospital.

Both trusts had more than 100 patients waiting over 12 hours every month. January was the worst month for both: ESNEFT had 744 patients waiting more than 12 hours and WSFT had 622. ESNEFT's performance on the national target of seeing 95 per cent of A&E patients within four hours remained in the 70 per cent range throughout the period, with April 2025 its best month at 78 per cent and October its worst at 70 per cent. WSFT performed better, reaching 81.3 per cent in April and May, though this fell to 67.9 per cent in January.

An ESNEFT spokesperson attributed the long waits mainly to delays in finding beds and the complex needs of patients requiring specialist mental-health support. The trust noted that introducing a new electronic patient record system between October and December caused a period of adjustment, though it expects long-term benefits.

How it is being reported

• Hundreds of patients in Suffolk wait 12 hours for care in A&EData from NHS England showed how many patients in Suffolk were kept waiting for more than 12 hours.Ipswich Star · 19 Oct, 06:00
• Hundreds of patients in Suffolk wait 12 hours for care in A&EData from NHS England showed how many patients in Suffolk were kept waiting for more than 12 hours.East Anglian Daily Times · 19 Oct, 06:00

In this story: North Essex and East Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust · West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust · Suffolk · Ipswich · Colchester

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem