There has been a 253% rise in patients in Harrogate and Knaresborough waiting more than four hours in A&E since 2019.
More than 16,000 people wait four hours or more at Harrogate A&E More than 6,000 people were forced to wait at least four hours in Harrogate A&E last year, figures have revealed. Data revealed by Harrogate’s Liberal Democrats shows that 6,362 people were left waiting at Harrogate Hospital in 2023 - a 253% rise on the 11,724 people left waiting in 2019. The data showed that the number of patients who waited over 12 hours to be seen in A&E in Harrogate and Knaresborough rose from 0 in 2019 to 317 in 2023. Liberal Democrat research also revealed that the NHS budget is facing a £4.7 billion cut this year when inflation is taken into account. The party is calling on the government to reverse its near £5 billion of real terms cuts to NHS funding over this year and next, and invest more in local health services including A&E. Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Harrogate & Knareborough, Tom Gordon, said:
“These appalling delays are leaving often vulnerable and elderly patients in our area waiting for hours on end in overcrowded A&Es.”Read more local stories from Your Harrogate here.