THE trust which runs Basingstoke hospital could face Government intervention after it failed to hit national A&E waiting time targets for the third consecutive quarter.

More patients than ever are coming through the doors of emergency departments, and Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT), which runs Basingstoke, Andover and Winchester hospitals, has seen a rise of nearly six per cent in patient numbers compared to last year.

And the trust has failed to hit a Government target ensuring 95 per cent of patients spend fewer than four hours in the emergency department for the third consecutive quarter – something which usually triggers intervention from Government health watchdog Monitor.

During March, only 90.8 per cent of patients spent fewer than four hours in the emergency department despite a number of initiatives to try and hit the target including an additional 60 beds across the three hospitals.

The Trust’s record mirrors the national trend for A&E waiting times, with NHS England announcing that the 95 per cent target hasn’t been hit nationally since the end of September.

When The Gazette approached Monitor, they said they cannot comment on individual trusts because of the Purdah election period. But Mary Edwards, the chief executive of HHFT, defended the Trust.

She said: “We have experienced problems in meeting the four hour target to admit and discharge 95 per cent of patients who attend our Emergency Departments through the winter period, in common with many other NHS organisations.

“Unfortunately we have had difficulty discharging some of our more dependant patients who need ongoing support.

“Despite opening an additional 60 beds across our hospitals to cope with this challenge, we have still found it difficult to find a bed fast enough for patients who need admitting from the Emergency Department.”

Mrs Edwards added: “Patient safety and our patients’ experience will always take priority over meeting a target.”