Birmingham's Heartlands Hospital has not hit waiting time targets for the last three years.
A significant cause is that 30 per cent of patients who arrive in A&E could have been treated at primary care centres such as GP surgeries or walk in centres.
During the winter months the hospital is regularly over capacity and paramedics often have to wait on wards while beds become available.
To try and improve the service a new team of specialists dealing solely in primary care problems has been created.
12 дек 2010
