Admissions from emergency departments rise as four hour target approaches

The number of patients leaving emergency departments each minute rises with the approach of the government’s four hour maximum waiting time target, research has shown. The rise is especially marked in the 10 minutes before the deadline expires, with 6% of all patients attending emergency departments in England being seen and treated in this time.

The research, published by the NHS Information Centre on 18 November, also shows that the percentage of patients leaving emergency departments who are admitted to hospital rises markedly …