THE Morecambe Bay NHS Trust has recorded its worst performance in treating A&E patients in almost three years, sparking claims its hospitals have reached ‘crisis point’.

The trust revealed that in the week ending January 4, just 86.48 per cent of patients were seen within four hours – well below the government target of 95 per cent.

The number is Morecambe Bay’s lowest since March 2012, and a marked fall from the same week last year, which saw a figure of 92.8 per cent.

The trust put the figures down to an increase in patient numbers over Christmas and New Year.

But paramedic and ambulance union rep Paul Carlisle said the problem had ‘gone beyond’ seasonal pressure and claimed both Furness General Hospital and the Royal Lancaster Infirmary were ‘at crisis point’.

“We are taking in genuinely ill people and there is nowhere for them to go because of a shortage of beds,” he said.

“RLI has been under a lot of pressure for years, since Westmorland General Hospital closed its A&E years ago.

“The staff there work really hard and the pressure they are under is unbelievable.”

The crisis is being echoed at hospitals up and down the country, as A&E units struggle to cope with an unprecedented demand.

The University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT), which runs RLI and FGH, said it had experienced ‘sustained pressure’ during Christmas and New Year.

Figures released by the NHS show that while the trust was hitting the four-hour target before December 14, this dropped to 94.7 per cent and 92.5 per cent for the last two weeks in December.

Along with trusts across the country, it has issued a plea to the public to ‘use A&E services wisely’.

Dr Paul Grout, Clinical Director for Acute and Emergency Medicine at UHMBT, said: “While we will see and treat all patients who attend, there are those who could be better treated elsewhere.

“During the winter season this puts extra demands on already pressured emergency departments."

The trust said it had made preparations for a busy winter period by increasing ward rounds to ensure patients were discharged promptly, providing enhanced medical cover in the Medical Assessment Unit and creating additional weekend A&E medical cover.

South Lakes MP Tim Farron said the figures showed “why we need to utilise Westmorland General much more and make sure care is delivered closer to residents in South Lakeland.”

Barrow and Furness MP John Woodcock said: “Staff are evidently working hard to do their very best for patients, but it is clear that Furness General and other hospitals in the area are facing a winter A&E crisis as grave as many other areas of England. It is alarming that local hospitals are now at the stage of having to cancel operations to cope with the pressures – this will cause real inconvenience and worry for many patients.

“It is absolutely right that tackling A&E queues take priority and I would urge everyone to heed advice only to go to A&E when it is the most appropriate course of action, but we need ministers to stop scuttling around denying there is a winter crisis and get a grip on the situation.”

Hospitals across the country have been struggling with a surge in patients, with a number of hospitals declaring “major incidents” in recent days.

The average for major A&E departments in England was 89 per cent for the past three months and 86 per cent in the last week of December.

Alan Price, secretary of patients campaign group South Lakes Health Action, said “major analysis” was needed.

“We’ve been talking about waiting times at RLI for years, and they have made improvements but it continues to be a problem – not just here, but all over the country,” he said.

“We’re hearing that doctors' surgeries are being shut down and that it’s winter, which are both true but is that the whole story?

“Someone needs to analyse these numbers because I don’t think we know what the problem is, and it’s one that’s not just going to go away.”

David Earnshaw, a retired out-of-hours GP from Ambleside, said more needed to be done to raise awareness of when A&E should be used.

“I used to work overnight at Westmorland General Hospital and we used to get a large number of people coming in through the night because they had a sore throat or they’d been vomiting for an hour.

“I believe every house should have an A3 document to say when you should and shouldn’t go to A&E.”