TALKS are being planned to turn around A&E patient waiting times at the region's two hospitals.

It follows figures which revealed Morriston Hospital's accident and emergency department had the worst waiting times in Wales.

In January, figures showed 75.2 per cent of patients were seen at the site's A&E department within four hours, compared with 78.5 per cent within the same timescale during December last year.

Meanwhile, findings for Princess of Wales Hospital, in Bridgend, showed 81.6 per cent of patients were seen in its A&E department during four hours last month. During December, 90.4 per cent of patients were seen within the time target.

But the Assembly expects 95 per cent of patients to be dealt with in A&E within four hours and 99 per cent to wait no longer than eight hours for admission, discharge or transfer.

Paul Stauber, director of planning and interim director of acute care at ABM University Health Board, told its meeting at the Civic Centre that the situation would be closely looked at.

In a report to the board, Mr Stauber said: "Achievement of AOF (Annual Operating Framework) target of 99 per cent of A&E patients waiting less than eight hours to be seen and performance in relation to the 'four-hour wait' continues to be challenging since the last Health Board.

"Performance has been affected by bed/capacity pressures in all sites due to infection control outbreaks and deficits in the medical staffing of two major A&E departments.

"The health board is working with the WAG Delivery and Support Unit (DSU) to implement the actions to improve performance, focusing on Morriston Hospital."

He added: "Performance in relation to the patient handover from an emergency ambulance to A&E within the 15-minute target has deteriorated, although the way of reporting has changed from using A&E manual data to the ambulance electronic data collection. The Medicine Directorate is working with the ambulance trust to resolve apparent discrepancies."

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Concerns have previously been raised by staff working at Morriston Hospital's A&E department that dozens of patients were having to spend hours outside the site in ambulances just to ensure the unit could deal with 75.2 per cent of people within four hours.

One worker claimed: "Patient care is severely compromised. The board keeps coming out with that it (the department) is very busy — but it is not that at all."

She previously said she believed the move to shut Singleton Hospital's casualty department and put in place a GP-led unit had impacted on the time target. It is claimed before the changes, the board regularly did better than seeing more than 95 per cent of patients within the four-hour timescale.

But the board rejected the claim that the changes at Singleton Hospital had had an impact. Mr Stauber pledged at the board meeting that talks would be held over the issue.

"The A&E target is not where we want it to be and there is significant work we need to take forward," he added.

"Discussions are being held with Princess of Wales and Morriston Hospitals."

elizabeth.perkins@swwmedia.co.uk

Find out the latest on the revamp of Morriston Hospital in this video