Hospital boss tells staff to stop A&E queues
A HOSPITAL'S A&E has finally hit a target to see patients within four hours following a personal plea from its new boss to doctors, nurses and other staff.
Interim chief executive Jim Birrell, pictured below, stepped in after the University Hospital of North Staffordshire reached a new low in delays faced by emergency patients.
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IMPROVEMENT: Waiting times at the emergency unit within the University Hospital of North Staffordshire are back on track.
He wrote to all 7,000 trust employees demanding they do better after just 68 per cent of people received care or were admitted to a bed within the nationally-set time deadline.
Against a Whitehall directive to hit 95 per cent, the hospital achieved 97 per cent and 98 per cent respectively over the last two days.
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The North Staffordshire NHS trust which runs five community hospitals also played its part by clearing beds more quickly for UHNS patients to be transferred to.
Now Mr Birrell, who took over from long-standing chief Julia Bridgewater in January, has come up with an action plan to make sure the breakthrough becomes permanent.
It involves:
ploughing more doctors into A&E at times of peak demand;
sending home earlier in the day those patients fit enough to leave;
reducing the maximum cases breaching the four-hour wait deadline to 15 a day – compared to the 122 recorded when the service hit rock bottom on March 4.
The trust has been hit by an 11 per cent rise in patients flooding into A&E and a delay in community schemes needed to keep people well enough to stay out of hospital.
Mr Birrell said: "I am delighted with such a great response from both our own staff and community partners.
" As a result the hospital has run efficiently this week compared to last.
"We have still got some way to go before we can say the improvement is sustainable but I wanted our staff and partners to know their contribution has made a difference."
The transformation also won the thumbs-up from patients.
Trainee hairdresser Chelsea Green, 18, from Fenton, who was admitted after falling off her motorbike, said: "The ambulance brought me in and I was looked at really quickly. The nurses and doctors are great and hopefully I will be out again soon."
Retired GP David Colwell, aged 80, from Stockton Brook, added: "I've been having trouble with my hip and fell on it. The staff have been very polite and the nurses here are wonderful."
In his initial letter to staff Mr Birrell said: "We do not give patients the care they deserve or should expect from us.
"We cannot accept the 422 breaches of four hours which happened last week. We all need to take immediate responsibility to achieving a collective improvement."
He called on staff to aim to discharge at least 85 patients every day Monday to Friday – and that was the responsibility of everyone from doctors to porters and pharmacists making it happen.
A&E matron Kevin Parker said: "Staff have really pulled together following last week's disappointment and I'm delighted our patients are now seeing a real difference."
8 Comments
by stokepotter
Sunday, March 17 2013, 7:35PM
“The problems are that we have a new hospital that was drastically undersized for the community it is meant to serve. Secondly the staff and the processes generally are the same so things do not really improve.”
by mrdoulton
Sunday, March 17 2013, 1:28PM
“this sounds like pre Stafford target talk....... worrying”
by lagu2
Saturday, March 16 2013, 12:52PM
“So they are now hitting targets, should people not come first and given the best care out not targets. and with the influx of people from Stafford waiting times will only go up, or is that to simple that the management can not see that”
by lagu2
Saturday, March 16 2013, 12:52PM
“So they are now hitting targets, should people not come first and given the best care out not targets. and with the influx of people from Stafford waiting times will only go up, or is that to simple that the management can't see that”
by lagu2
Saturday, March 16 2013, 12:51PM
“So they are now hitting targets, should people not come first and given the best care out not targets. and with the influx of people from Stafford waiting times will only go up, or is that to simple that the management can't see that”
by Jobeeone
Saturday, March 16 2013, 12:05PM
“My worry is about people being discharged on the basis that someone will care for them at home. This often means an elderly spouse or a family which simply cannot cope. Carers are already put upon and in consant danger of going into carer crisis. The last thing they need is an overpaid gung ho merchant demanding that they care for someone who should still be in hospital.”
by Robnoxious
Saturday, March 16 2013, 11:42AM
“Here we are again, the same conundrum. PATIENTS - WAITING TIMES - BEDS. When are we going to except, care comes before money. The sure thing is, if it does not, the only people who will suffer is going to be the patient. If one patient suffers through this regime of targets, it is one patient to many. So Mr Birrell. the interim chief executive, writes to all 7,000 Trust employees, DEMANDING THEY DO BETTER. within a system, THAT DOES NOT WORK. Received care, or admitted to a Hospital bed within a nationally-set time DEADLINE. As if not already, MORALE IS AT AN TIME LOW.
INVOLVES, ploughing in more doctors? Nothing about more nurses, to cope with the turn around. More money being spent.
Sending home earlier in the day, patients fit enough to leave? Is this because we are/were understaffed? If so, WHY? Or is it a case of, they should be OK.
A Delay in community schemes, to keep people well enough out of Hospital? Then they send them out of Hospital into the community, and we know that is not working efficiently. St Michaels not even closed yet. ANOTHER BLUNDER.
The nursing staff have a lot to put up with, it is them that have to try and make this work, but their hands are tied, They know that it is not working, and have to bite their lips. Things are happening to make numbers match up,and at the patients expense and well being. They are being herded around like sheep to create bed space at the major hospital at all times of the day. Places themselves that are already stretched to the limit. Which again they are under pressure to discharge patients at the earliest opportunity. The CAROUSEL OF CARE. WHICH IS CERTAINLY NOT THE MAGIC ROUNDABOUT.
There needs to be an independent person at these Hospitals to oversee what is going on, and who staff members can communicate to, without fear. starting from the basis of being under staffed for the duties that have to be carried out. To be accountable to us, the public and the taxpayer.
If we can't do the hiring, then lets do THE FIRING.”
by teddyboy5
Saturday, March 16 2013, 10:21AM
“CONGRATULATIONS .Its great andto hear some good news in the papers about our hospitals and I am sure the people of Stoke on Trent and surrounding areas wish you well in the future.
Keep up the good work.”