THE news that East Lancashire Hospitals Trust has exceeded the national target for A&E departments is worthy of praise.

Under the Government targets, 95 per cent of patients should be dealt with within four hours — EHLT dealt with 96.5 per cent of patients.

Of course you could argue that every patient should be seen as quickly as possible but given the complex nature of an A&E department it’s highly unlikely that a magical 100 per cent could ever be achieved.

Just looking at the volume of patients going through A&E demonstrates how busy the service really is - over 3,500 patients over one week in September.

The trust has managed to take on extra staff to cope with this demand, which once again demonstrates the importance of investing in our health service.

Care of patients is labour intensive. The staff are dedicated professionals but they are only human. Therefore resources have to be provided to meet demand.

Dr Damian Riley, medical director at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “The latest results make our A&E one of the best in the country.”

How good does that sound? Well done everyone — you have the thanks of grateful patients everywhere.