EMERGENCY Departments across Wales are on track to endure yet another ‘incredibly tough winter’.

That’s the warning from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) as new data, published last week (October 23) by the Welsh government revealed last month was the second worst September for Emergency Department performance since records began in 2009 for patients experiencing extremely long waits.

It’s not all bad news. The time lost by the Welsh Ambulance Service to handover delays at emergency departments fell by 40 per cent in September compared to the same month last year. Health Secretary Jeremy Miles hailed the progress but warned that EDs remain under significant pressure.

The data also showed quarter of people (25 per cent) waited more than eight hours in major EDs, and more than one in seven patients waited 12 hours or longer.

As if that were not bad enough, this waiting time is often compounded by long hours waiting for an ambulance to arrive, one local lady having recently told us that she spent 12 such hours lying on the floor with a broken leg.

Compared to September 2018, the numbers waiting four hours or more increased by nearly double, the numbers waiting eight hours or more have more than doubled, and the numbers waiting 12 hours or more have nearly tripled. This is despite attendance being 0.2 per cent lower.

Earlier this month, the Welsh government announced its winter plan. It aims to improve ’flu’ vaccination rates, includes a £30 million investment in home care, and over £1 million to help care homes prevent falls. But winter preparations must be ramped up further to prevent Emergency Departments from being overwhelmed.

“All the signs are pointing towards an incredibly tough winter ahead,” said RCEM Vice President for Wales Dr Rob Perry. “Thousands of people endured unacceptable long waits, often on trolleys in corridors or any available floor space, last month. And I worry how many more will experience extreme waits during the colder months.”

Supporters of a vital Pembrokeshire charity may have already heard updates concerning its founder, whose multiple infections and an unexpected condition saw her relegated to a trolley in A&E for three days before a bed could be found for her on the ward.

Dr Perry adds: “The stakes are incredibly high and the safety of patients is at risk as long as conditions in EDs remain like this.”