PATIENTS arriving at Bournemouth Hospital's Emergency Department are amongst the fastest to be treated in England, new figures show.

According to the latest figures published by NHS Improvement, 96.3 per cent of patients coming into the hospital via the Emergency Department are being treated, admitted or discharged within the four hour standard set by the government. This was compared to the national average of 86.6 per cent.

According to the figures, RBH is performing third best in the south and fifth nationally, compared to other acute trusts.

Hitting the four hour care standard requires the ED and Acute Medical Unit (AMU) to work seamlessly with all areas of the hospital, as well as external partners, to ensure patients are able to flow to the relevant areas.

Initiatives such as the introduction of streaming nurses - who signpost patients to the most appropriate service for them - additional investment in staffing and improvement work on discharge planning and flow have all supported the hospital to treat, admit or discharge patients, giving them the quality care they need as quickly as possible.

Directorate Manager for ED and AMU, Kaye Woodward, said: “We couldn’t be more proud of the hospital and our staff who continue to put patients first, delivering high-quality, efficient care to the people in our community. We couldn’t have exceeded the 95 per cent standard without fantastic teamwork and passion to improve for our patients.”