The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) has responded to the latest Emergency Department performance statistics for July 2023.

Published today (10 August 2023) by NHS England, the July data show 96,515 patients waited 12-hours or more from their time of arrival, this accounts for 7.3% of major A&E (which deal with the most serious emergency conditions and injuries) attendances. This figure is 10.8% lower than the previous month (June 2023 saw 108,225 12-hour waits measured from their time of arrival at A&E).

Commenting on these figures, Dr Adrian Boyle, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said:

“It is welcome to see further small improvements in these data. The number of patients waiting 12-hours or more from their time of arrival has dropped below 100,000 for the first time since February 2023, which was the first month of data to be made publicly available.

“This remains an appallingly high number of patients experiencing these dangerous delays, but the trend is beginning to move in the right direction.

“We remain concerned that there is a lack of adequate bed capacity for patients who need admitting. There is still a significant shortfall of bed numbers and this needs to be addressed before winter bites.

“Our members and their colleagues continue to work tirelessly in difficult circumstances and these improvements are in no small way a testament to their hard work.

“Emergency care continues to face unprecedented pressure for a summer period, it is likely this will be our most difficult summer yet.”