UNIVERSITY Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP) has been rated the most improved Trust in England in relation to the four-hour target, this despite increased demand for the Emergency Department.

In data shared by NHS England, UHP is leading the trusts who have made the most improvement regarding the four-hour waiting time target for patients attending the department at Derriford Hospital during the 2024/25 year.

The target for 2024/25 is to see and treat 78 per cent of patients within four hours of them arriving. In 2023/24, UHP was seeing an average of 54.9 per cent of patients within four hours, but with the recent improvements this has risen by almost 10 per cent to 64.8 per cent in the 2024/25 financial year to date.

UHP is also among the top 10 trusts in the country for improvements in the number of patients waiting more than 12 hours in the department. In 2023/24, 18 per cent of patients attending as emergencies would have waited more than 12 hours, however, in the 2024/25 financial year to date this has decreased to 16 per cent of patients.

These improvements have been made despite demand for emergency services at UHP increasing by 6.1 per cent in 2024/25, equating to an additional 4,646 attendances. Meeting this additional demand and improving the experience for the almost 300 patients attending the emergency department each day has been possible due to the commitment and dedication of colleagues who are working on the Trust’s ‘One Plan’ – a programme which is driving improvements in the quality of urgent and emergency care for patients.

The proposed new emergency care building at Derriford. Image courtesy: University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
The proposed new emergency care building at Derriford. Image courtesy: University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust)

Vicky Carter, Senior Matron for Urgent and Emergency Care, said: “For our patients, what we are showing is that they are not waiting on the back of ambulances for as long. We’re able to get them into a more comfortable space, we’re able to get them onto an appropriate bed.

“We’ve hugely increased the in reach from virtual wards, Same Day Emergency Care Unit (SDEC), frailty, our frequent attender’s team, our homeless team – that really feels different. If you’re a patient coming in and seeking specific support, it is much easier now to connect with that specific support than it ever was before.”

The Trust, however, recognises there are still further improvements to make. Overall, UHP is currently rated as 109 out of 122 trusts nationally for the four-hour target – and 40 out of 45 in relation to 12-hour waits.

While changes to the site have already been made to improve the experience of patients waiting in the Emergency Department, there are a number of ongoing developments that will further increase the Trust’s ability to provide outstanding care to patients who arrive as emergencies.

These include further work to provide more care in the community and thereby avoid people needing to attend our emergency units and more space to care in the shape of a new Urgent Treatment Unit and Fracture Clinic – and the new Emergency Care building which will double the space to care for the increasing numbers of patients with urgent and emergency conditions.