Trauma stretching A&E at Brighton and Sussex

The trust – now designated as a major trauma centre – has seen around a 40 per cent increase in major trauma cases over last year and the total number of trauma cases more than double.

Overall, it is significantly overperforming on its contract with NHS Sussex for emergency care: the CCG’s contract reflects as ‘audacious goal’ of reducing demand by 15 per cent which is not delivering. In January the trust only managed to see 89 per cent of patients within four hours and its year to date performance Is below the 95 per cent threshold.

‘The continuing failure of the ‘audacious goal’ delivery plan to deliver tangible reductions in emergency demand remains the biggest single risk to the Trusts emergency care performance for both this and next year,’ a report to the board says.