WORCESTER’S hospital has failed to meet targets for operating on hip fractures within 48 hours.

Worcestershire Royal Hospital did not achieve targets for hip operations which meant – despite the Alexandra in Redditch meeting its – Worcestershire Acute NHS Trust was listed among 31 trusts with more patients than expected waiting longer than two days for hip operations.

The Hospital Guide revealed 42.2 per cent of patients with hip fractures at Worcestershire Acute NHS Trust are not seen within 48 hours of arriving at hospital, compared with a national average of 29.6187. The trust was unable to say exactly what the figure for the Royal was.

The British Orthopaedic Association recommended in 2007 that hip fracture patients are operated on within 48 hours of admission to reduce the likelihood of further infection or death.

Studies have shown the death rate among patients operated on within two days is lower – 7.4 per cent – than those waiting longer, when it was 10.1 per cent.

Dr Charles Ashton, medical director for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals, said: “This indicator is a measure of how quickly fractured neck of femur patients are operated on.

“The trust achieved the target in the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch but has had difficulties in Worcester due to pressure on operating theatre time.

“We are working hard to improve this and have put in place a new system to ensure that fractured neck of femur patients are given priority.”

However, the report compiled by Dr Foster Intelligence also revealed that death rates in Worcestershire’s hospitals for emergencies are within the expected levels on weekends, but above expected during the week. Dr Ashton said: “Every time performance falls short our clinical leaders and the trust board will not stop asking difficult questions until we are satisfied that any issues have been resolved.

“We are aware that other trusts have put significant effort into reviewing and recording their deaths.

“This ensures the figures are accurate and lessons learnt. From Thursday, December 1, a senior clinician will review every death to make sure that the cause and risk factors are recorded correctly and that we identify any lessons that can be learned for the future.”