The A&E at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary (HRI) is taking in thousands of extra patients year on year, according to official figures.
HRI and Calderdale Royal Hospital (CRH), Halifax, had a 13% increase in the number of A&E admissions between 2015/16 compared to 2009/2010.
That’s an extra 16,713 attendances in a six-year period.
The figures were released as Health Minister Jeremy Hunt said the NHS target of discharging or admitting 95% of A&E patients within four hours of their admission should apply only to urgent cases.
Mr Hunt said approximately 30% of A&E patients were using the services needlessly and that the ‘tide is continuing to rise’.
In the Commons on Monday he said: “If we are going to protect our four-hour standard, we need to be clear that it is a promise to sort out all urgent health problems within four hours, but not all health problems, however minor.”
HRI and CRH have experienced annual rises in A&E admissions running into several thousands.
In 2015/16 Calderdale and Huddersfield Foundation Trust (CHFT), which runs the two hospitals, had 147,619 A&E admissions.
That’s 5,313 more than the previous year and 8,368 more than in 2013/14.
By comparison in 2009/2010, the trust had 130,906 admissions.
CHFT head of emergency care Dr Mark Davies said HRI and CRH would continue to provide timely care to all patients.
Dr Davies said: “We will continue to aim to provide all patients with timely assessment and treatment as this is the right thing to do.”
Dewsbury MP Paula Sherriff used the Commons debate to urge Mr Hunt to keep HRI’s and Dewsbury District Hospital’s A&E open.
Ms Sherriff said: “Despite the best efforts of dedicated NHS staff, patients attending one of my local A&Es were told that they would routinely have to wait 11 hours just to be seen.
“People were routinely on hospital trolleys for up to 20 hours.
“Mental health patients were sent to Colchester because it had the nearest available in-patient beds for 17-year-olds.
“Somebody I know waited six hours for a 999 ambulance, despite calling 999 three times.
“To that end, I implore the Secretary of State – in fact, I plead with him – to intervene and suspend the needless downgrades of Dewsbury and Huddersfield hospitals, which will cost lives.”
Mr Hunt replied that none of the situations Ms Sherriff described at Dewsbury District Hospital were ‘remotely acceptable’.
He said: “If the Honorable Lady’s local hospital reconfiguration ends up on my desk because it is referred by the local health scrutiny committee, I will look at the matter carefully.”
