Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help achieve the 95 per cent four hour A&E waiting time target in (a) Lewisham borough and (b) London.

NHS Improvement is working closely with Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust to achieve delivery of the 95% four hour accident and emergency (A&E) standard. Several steps are in place to support the Trust, including monthly oversight meetings between NHS Improvement’s senior leadership team and the Trust’s chief executive team to review performance; provision of NHS Improvement staff for on-site support to review long-stay patients and discharge those who are medically fit to be discharged; and work with mental health providers and the London Ambulance Service to support appropriate placement of mental health patients as well as improve patient handover performance. The Trust also received £500,000 of capital to develop and open a crisis café at the University Hospital Lewisham site, to help prevent avoidable mental health attendances at A&E.

There are multiple actions underway to support reductions in waiting times for patients in London Emergency Departments. The London Urgent and Emergency Care programme and the Emergency Care Intensive Support Team provide dedicated expertise and support to several trusts¹. In addition, circa £26 million of extra capital investment was allocated to trusts across London to increase beds, emergency department capacity, same day emergency care and acute mental health services ahead of winter.

¹Lewisham and Greenwich, Kings’ College Hospital, Hillingdon, London North West, Imperial, Barking Havering and Redbridge, Barts, Whittingdon, North Middlesex and University College London Hospital.