An IMPROVEMENT has been recorded in the amount of time people spent in the region’s emergency departments.

Figures released by the Welsh Government showed Wrexham Maelor Hospital and Glan Clwyd Hospital in Bodelwyddan recorded a slight improvement in the time people spent in A&E during May, compared with the previous month.

But hundreds of people are still spending more than half a day in the departments before being admitted, discharged or transferred.

A spokesman for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board said: “We are pleased the emergency department figures show some improvement.

“However, we know we have more to do to reduce demands on our emergency services, including looking at alternatives to admission, and using the wide range of services in the community for advice and treatment. Our staff continue to work incredibly hard to deliver a high quality service and I’d like to thank them for their efforts.

“We always prioritise patients according to their clinical priority. This means that at times, some patients whose needs are less urgent can experience longer waits, despite the great efforts of nursing and medical staff working in these departments.

“Patients who do not need full emergency hospital treatment can also get appropriate advice and care from other NHS services which include our minor injuries units, local pharmacists or by calling NHS Direct Wales on 0845 46 47.”

According to the figures, 456 people at Glan Clwyd Hospital spent more than 12 hours in A&E – 8.8 per cent of the total patients. This was the worst result recorded by a department in Wales.

But it was a slight improvement from April, when 9.3 per cent of patients spent more than 12 hours in A&E.

At Wrexham Maelor, a total of 224 patients spent more than 12 hours at the department – four per cent of the total.

This again was an improvement from April, when 5.7 per cent spent more than 12 hours in the department.

The statistics also showed a total of 68.9 per cent of patients in Wrexham were dealt with in less than four hours – which was the worst result in Wales.

But it was an improvement from 66.7 per cent in April.

At Glan Clwyd, the figure was 70.6 per cent, up from 65.7 per cent in April.