'There's some things we can do to improve'

Hospital boss plans to tackle A&E crisis

- Sentinel Reporter

THE boss of Stoke-on-Trent’s main hospital has admitted ‘there are things we can do to improve’ as A&E patients are waiting too long to be seen and ambulances are left stranded.

The latest crisis at the Royal Stoke University Hospital accident unit has been blamed on ‘rising’ flu cases and other respiratory illnesses.

It comes as too many A&E patients are waiting more than four hours to be treated and then admitted to a bed or discharged - and ambulance handover delays are too high.

Now the crisis is expected to be discussed further at a Royal Stoke board meeting this week.

The board now only meets in public once every two months - and means the next meeting after this week will not be until February.