WORCESTERSHIRE hospitals are top of the league table when it comes to treating emergency patients quickly.

Figures published by Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust show that 97.5 per cent of emergency patients were seen within four hours of coming through the doors at A&E departments in Worcester and Redditch for the week ending May 26.

This put the trust top of the performance table out of 15 Midlands trusts and reflects a general improvement in performance at Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester and the Alexandra in Redditch.

In May, 96.55 per cent of patients who attended the emergency units spent less than four hours in the department, from arrival until they were discharged, admitted to a ward, or transferred elsewhere. Health bosses said the improvement, against the national 95 per cent target, was due to the hard work and determination of the trust’s staff.

The improvement came after the Worcestershire trust had missed the target every month this year until May, with bosses citing the norovirus and increased admissions as causes of the failings.

Chief operating officer Stewart Messer said the recovery had prompted continuing improvement.

“Given the national interest in A&E performance at present I am pleased for the patients of Worcestershire that the acute trust is bucking the trend,” he said.

“Admittedly, we had a very challenging start in April but performance has continued to improve and is being sustained, which means that less than five per cent of our patients are waiting over four hours to be seen, assessed and either admitted or discharged.”

More than 11,000 patients attended the county’s emergency departments in May.

Mr Messer said: “I am immensely proud of the hard work and dedication of our staff who have worked as a team to improve the performance which we all recognise is an important indicator of quality of care.”