A&E wait times through the roof with over 625 people waiting over 12 hours

New figures have revealed the extent of the NHS crisis affecting Esher and Walton.

In the two local hospital trusts that serve the constituency - Kingston and Ashford & St Peter’s - a total of 1,738 people waited over 4 hours to be seen in December. Even more alarmingly, 626 waited over 12 hours to be seen at Kingston Hospital A&E in December during the winter crisis.

Meanwhile, the average ambulance response time for the most urgent incidents in Surrey, which is served by South East Coast Ambulance Service, was 11.02 minutes in December – well in excess of the NHS target of 7 minutes.

Response times for urgent conditions such as heart attacks and strokes are even longer. Ambulance response times in the South East Coast Ambulance Service area for these Category 2 emergencies are now 46.14 minutes way above the 18-minute target.

The Liberal Democrats have set out a five-point plan to tackle the ambulance service crisis. The party is demanding the Government release the money they promised to help discharge patients from hospitals, as soon as possible.

Monica Harding, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Esher and Walton, said:

“The Government’s failure to tackle the crisis in our NHS is letting down people in Esher and Walton and putting patients’ lives at risk. How much more evidence do Ministers need? They either don’t care or just can’t grasp the scale of this problem.

“Unacceptable and heartbreaking delays mean the Government is falling far short even on its own targets.

“Far too many people in Esher and Walton are having to wait far too long to get the treatment they need. In many cases, this is literally a matter of life or death. People in our area deserve far better.

“Our NHS isn't just at breaking point - it’s splitting at its very seams. We need action from the Conservatives. Liberal Democrats are demanding the Government release the money they promised to help discharge patients from hospitals, and launch a campaign to recruit the extra paramedics and ambulance staff we need.”