Hospitals struggling as winter hits

[annie]

A&E units across the UK are struggling to hit their waiting time target as winter hits, latest figures show.

Demands on the NHS tend to increase during the colder months because of illnesses like flu and norovirus.

But with winter just getting under way, pressures are already reaching record levels.

Extra money is being invested in each nation, but the four-hour A&E waiting time target is still being missed everywhere.

The mounting problems come as the BBC launches its NHS Winter project, which tracks how the health service is performing down to individual hospital trust level.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30433575

[maureenho]

Part of the problem is some people use A&E like a walk in centre.