A&E Waiting Times.

Irrespective of the strikes by NHS staff, we have seen a steady decline of NHS services despite the self-promoting bombast of Conservative ministers and MPs. As delays in getting GP appointments increase, more pressure is put on hospitals and in particular A&E. In our local NHS Trust, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which covers Andover, Basingstoke and Winchester, the numbers have not been good.

475 patients waited more than 12 hours in A&E in February this year. The statistics, released for the first time this week by NHS England, show the number of people who waited more than 12 hours from arriving at A&E to being admitted, transferred or discharged. They show that 4.88% of patients in North West Hampshire waited over 12 hours at A&E in February.

These long A&E waits can have serious consequences for patients. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine has warned that "evidence shows delays to care and long waits to admission to hospital increase a patient's risk of harm and death", even after they leave A&E. These figures lay bare the appalling extent of long A&E delays in North West Hampshire. Far too many people are having to wait 12 hours or more to be treated, which we know can have devastating consequences.

The Conservative government has let the NHS crisis spiral out of control. They are letting patients in our community down badly, leaving them waiting in pain for the treatment they need. We need an urgent rescue plan for our local health services. If patients could see their GP when they need to or get the care they need at home, it would free up hospital resources to treat people far more quickly. Demand better!