HC Deb 08 January 2003 vol 397 c278WS
Chris Grayling

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to address the decline in the number of patients being admitted within two hours in accident and emergency units. [88743]

Mr. Lammy

Improving access to emergency care is one of the Department's top priorities. Three quarters of those who go to an accident and emergency (A&E) department, who need to be admitted to hospital, get a bed within four hours. By December 2004, all patients will be in and out of A&E within four hours.

To help support A&E departments across the country, a new national clinical director for emergency care was appointed in autumn 2002. Additional investment of £30 million was made to enable the launch of the Modernisation Agency programme to help reduce waiting times in every A&E.

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