From the Bath MP: On 30th January, Bath MP Wera Hobhouse visited the Accident and Emergency Department at the city’s Royal United Hospital (RUH) to celebrate the “incredible” staff working through one of the hardest winter seasons the department has seen.
Mrs Hobhouse was given a tour of the services by Tracey Thorn, Senior Matron in the Emergency Department, who spoke of the significant pressures the department has been facing due to a sustained increase in demand for urgent and emergency care.
This winter has seen an early and challenging flu season, alongside a prolonged cold snap after Christmas, both of which have contributed to increased illness in the community. The department has also seen many clinically unwell patients with high acuity needs arriving at the Emergency Department and requiring admission to hospital.
Analysis of NHS figures shows A&E attendances at the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust hit 17,521 in June and July last year, an increase of more than 48% from a decade ago.
The huge increase in A&E attendances is in part attributable to the difficulty many patients experience in trying to get a GP appointment. Locally in the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, and Wiltshire (BSW) region, waits of over two weeks have increased from 497,427 in 2020 to 1,002,021 in 2025, an increase of 101%. Even more shockingly, waits of over 28 days for an appointment have increased by 89% to 321,299 in the same period.
Previous analysis by the Institute for Public Policy Research has found that one in eight of those who could not get a GP appointment went to A&E instead.
Mrs Hobhouse heard how the increase in demand was also due to the new W45 ambulance protocol – “Withdraw at 45 Minutes” (W45) – which aims to ensure that patient handover from ambulance crew to emergency department staff is completed within 15 minutes, but no later than 45 minutes. This was devised with the aim of rightly reducing the wait for ambulance services, however the Bath MP heard how it has presented new challenges for the RUH A&E who are struggling with skyrocketing levels of attendance and out-of-date infrastructure.
This places more pressure on emergency care, which has seen record long 12-hour A&E waits. With attendances at A&E departments surging in the past decade it is no surprise that the NHS infrastructure is struggling to cope.
In January in particular, the RUH experienced peak demand. Despite these difficult conditions, the Bath MP heard of the unwavering dedication of staff, working harder than ever for their patients.
Tracey Thorn, Senior Matron in the Emergency Department, said:
“I couldn’t be prouder of our A&E team here at the RUH. This winter has been one of the most challenging we have seen and they’ve worked tirelessly to cope with the huge demand for treatment. This effort is testament to their incredible dedication to their patients and colleagues.”
Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, commented:
“The incredibly hardworking staff at the RUH are doing their best under these challenging circumstances, which are completely beyond their control.
“Our emergency teams are suffering an emergency of their own. But things won’t change unless we fix the problem in primary care. Far too many people are struggling to get a GP appointment when they need one, leaving them waiting anxiously for the care they deserve and all too often resorting to A&E to get treatment.”
Mrs Hobhouse pointed to the Liberal Democrats’ campaign to give everyone the right to see a GP within seven days, or within 24 hours if they urgently need to.
“We would increase the number of full-time equivalent GPs by 8,000, which would increase the number of GP appointments by 65 million”, she said.
“By guaranteeing a GP appointment when people need it, we will reduce the pressure on hospitals, including on the dedicated teams at our very own RUH, saving crucial time and money elsewhere in the NHS.”
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