ACCIDENT and emergency departments at Bournemouth and Poole may have missed government targets, but not by much. Local performance was much better than in some parts of the country. Overall demand is up as more and more people present at A&E.

There are financial issues and too many go when the matter is too trivial. Meanwhile, cuts to local authority social care mean more people are going to A&E for problems that should be dealt with elsewhere. The current problems are another aspect of a health and social care timebomb that continues to tick remorselessly.