A&Es 'not always able to deliver level of care'

People being treated at West Cumberland Hospital's A&E department have faced long waits

Two hospitals' accident and emergency departments "are not always able to deliver the level of care" needed at the busiest times, chiefs say.

On at least one evening this month there was a wait of up to eight hours for people to be seen by a doctor at the West Cumberland Hospital, in Whitehaven, Cumbria, with some patients sleeping in the waiting room overnight as there were no beds available.

They included a man in his 70s, suffering from a high temperature and confusion, who was dropped off by an ambulance crew.

North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust (NCIC) said both the West Cumberland Hospital and Carlisle's Cumberland Infirmary faced significant pressures.

The BBC understands more than 60 people attended A&E at Whitehaven across the evening of 6 November and early hours of 7 November with three doctors on shift.

Attendees included the man in his 70s who was admitted at approximately 22:30 GMT.

Following an initial assessment, he was transferred from one of the department's corridors into the waiting room and was not seen by a doctor until 06:30.

He had remained in a wheelchair overnight, while several other patients slept on rows of chairs - including at least one the BBC was told had arrived at 18:30.

Patient safety 'our priority'

A display showing live wait times increased through the night from about two-and-a-half hours to more than four.

In a statement, the trust said it had experienced "an unusually high level of overcrowding".

"Like many parts of the country, we do unfortunately experience long waits in our A&E departments at West Cumberland Hospital and the Cumberland Infirmary.

"Patient safety is always our priority. However, we recognise that at the busiest times we are not always able to deliver the level of care we would hope for.

"On the evening of the 6th November and overnight ... we saw a higher number of patients attending who were very unwell, resulting in longer waits for less-critical patients.

"This is not a great experience for patients and we apologise."

The trust added it was "working hard to reduce the pressure on our departments" through initiatives such as so-called virtual wards that see some people treated at home.

Three years ago the organisation warned it "may be unable to provide appropriate overnight cover in the future" due to a national shortage of emergency doctors.