HOSPITAL patients are facing long waits for treatment and delays in A&E as bosses continue to struggle to hit targets.

More than 9,800 patients out of 36,000 at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust have yet to receive treatment more than 18 weeks after being referred by their GP.

A report to the trust board has revealed that as of the end of February, 89 of these have been waiting more than a year.

Accident and emergency departments at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton and Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath are also missing the government standard of getting patients seen, treated and either admitted or discharged within four hours.

In February, ten patients waited more than 12 hours for a bed to become available after a decision was made to admit them.

The trust is now preparing itself for a comprehensive routine four day inspection by the Care Quality Commission next week.

One of the key problems facing the trust is a continued shortage of available beds.

This is partly caused by delays in getting patients discharged from hospital because no care or nursing home place is available for them or a package of support for them in their own home has not been arranged.

The shortage of space then has a knock-on effect on other departments.

There are a number of contributing factors leading to patients waiting more than 18 weeks for treatment.

They include an imbalance between the capacity to treat and the demand for services, most notably in digestive diseases and neurosciences.

Suspected cancer patients also take priority over other cases, causing longer waits.

Work to improve patient flow through the hospitals and reduce waiting lists is continuing.

Changes have included redesigning the emergency floor and using electronic software on wards to provide up to the minute information about bed availability.

Action being considered to help cut waiting lists includes a temporary pause of new referrals to the digestive diseases department and commissioning other organisations to carry out some appointments and treatment for those services under particular pressure.

A trust spokesman said: "The NHS as a whole is seeing growing demand for services and, like most other trusts across the country, this is causing us significant challenges.

"The number of people being treated in our emergency departments has never been higher, and the staff who work in them are absolutely committed to providing the best possible care but, despite their best efforts, some patients are having to wait longer than they should.

"The increase in emergency patients needing to be admitted into hospital, coupled with the difficulty we are experiencing in discharging patients who no longer need acute hospital care, is impacting on the availability of beds for planned procedures and waiting times for these as well."

MILDLY ILL URGED TO AVOID ‘UNDER PRESSURE’ A&E

PATIENTS are being urged to avoid A&E unless it is an emergency, as NHS services around the county battle to deal with “unprecedented” demand.

There have been significant increases in people attending accident and emergency departments and ringing for an ambulance.

GP and walk-in services are also very busy as they continue to deal with cases following the four-day Easter break.

NHS bosses say they are working to provide the best care possible for all patients that need help but are also stressing the importance of the public choosing the most appropriate service for their condition.

Eastbourne GP and chairman of Eastbourne, Hailsham and Seaford Clinical Commissioning Group, Martin Writer, said: “There is no doubt that local NHS services are under extreme pressure at the moment and we really need the public to help by making the right choices when they or their loved ones fall ill.

“The vast majority of minor illnesses and injuries are able to be treated successfully at home with a well-stocked medicine cabinet or with advice from your local pharmacist.

“We also urge people with minor illness or injury to call NHS 111 for advice, use the online NHS symptom checker or download our local Health Help Now app.

“It must be stressed that A&E and 999 are for emergencies – if it’s not an emergency, other services are available, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust medical director David Hughes said: “Over the past few days we have seen unprecedented pressures on our services, particularly in the emergency departments and those needing urgent admission.

“We therefore need to make sure that our hospital beds and resources are saved for those who need them most.”