QMC bid to cut average A&E wait of more than five hours
MEASURES have been put in place to cut accident and emergency waiting times after targets were missed.
Patients spent an average of five hours and 20 minutes waiting in A&E at the Queen's Medical Centre in December – with some waiting much longer.
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Taking action: The QMC introduced measures to ensure targets were met in January.
NHS targets state that 95 per cent of patients should be seen within four hours, but in December only 91.8 per cent of people were dealt with in this time.
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust says a five per cent increase in the number of patients in December compared to a year ago contributed to the failure to hit the target
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A number of wards were also closed because of infections, while the number of people aged 65 to 74 attending A&E was 22 per cent higher than in 2011, and the number of patients aged 85 and over was up by 23 per cent.
The trust's board was told this week that measures had been taken to ensure the targets were met in January.
Jenny Leggott, director of nursing, said: "Our performance in January is on track to meet the 95 per cent waiting times target.
"Ahead of this winter we invested in extra beds and staffing to improve the timeliness, safety and quality of care for our emergency patients and this has resulted in an improved performance.
"We have worked closely with our primary and social care partners to improve the quality of care for our emergency patients."
The average wait over the past nine months has also missed the target, standing at four hours 11 minutes, although the trust hit the monthly 95 per cent target four times in 2012.
The lowest figure was in February, when it dipped to around 90 per cent. At the time, snow and ice gripped the county.
The trust says action plans have been implemented to improve the flow of patients and capacity.
They include the opening of 22 additional beds in January on Ward B50 – a former ward for elderly people with mental health problems – which has been freed up because the old service has been relocated.
The expected improvement comes despite snow and icy conditions across Nottingham in recent weeks.
The final figures for January, however, won't be known until after this weekend.
Patient campaigner Glen Swanwick, a former member of the Notts Local Involvement Network, which represents patients, said: "I feel sorry for A&E staff – you can never tell what is going to come through those doors.
"All you need is a bit of bad weather or a bad accident and the QMC gets blocked up.
"Let's hope what they have put in place works."
He added: "Patients have to be patient and use A&E only in an emergency."
4 Comments
by mof_gedling
Friday, February 01 2013, 4:07PM
“one would imagine these measures would already be in place so that targets arent missed in the first place, people get paid a lot of money to come up with excuses rather than actually doing the job right in the first instance.”
by smshogun
Friday, February 01 2013, 3:07PM
“Every year its the same, QMC misses their targets, perhaps they should take up small bore rifle shooting, at least then they stand a chance of hitting a target.”
by makeitend
Friday, February 01 2013, 3:04PM
“What are the chances that hospitals will 'cheat' to meet targets. e.g. keeping patients waiting on an ambulance in the car park prior to being taken into A&E when the 'clock' starts ticking. Or being seen initially by a 'triage' nurse who doesn't actually start mending you but only checks you're not dying anytime soon.
I agree with ms-grumpy - GPs could do more if they were encouraged to concentrate on what they trained to do which is make people better - and this should include carrying out minor procedures like sewing up wounds and setting broken bones. This would help take some of the pressure of A&E services. It seems like GPs are now fast becoming merely 'referral' stations - anything that requires more than an aspirin is referred to a consultant and patients have to wait (in some cases) months to be seen by a consultant. This in turn puts a greater burden on hospitals who face increased demand for their services. GPs can't be happy with this - what's the point of going to medical school when you end up being an accountant who manages a budget and happens to have a bit of medical knowledge? There must be something in the way GP contracts are appointed.
The rethink that needs to occur is to shift focus away from targets and managing by the budget towards concentrating on making people better and preventing ill-health and disease.”
by ms_grumpy
Friday, February 01 2013, 12:31PM
“Maybe all the blame should not be laid at the doors of the QMC.
Let's take a few steps back.
What about the wait for an appointment at the family doctor. Gone are the days when you could turn up on the day and see the GP. Recently, I had to wait almost a week to see my GP. He blamed the time wasters who made appointments and then failed to attend. Meanwhile, I waited, in pain, and considered turning up at A+E
What about NHS direct. Anecdotally, a phone call to NHS direct often results in the caution that if you are worried, see your doctor, which then leads to a wait of a week for an appointment
What about the surgeries that just aren't geared up to do relatively minor things. My small but deep cut to the thumb could not be resolved in the surgery as they did not have suture material and so a trip to A+E.
GP surgeries are fast becoming a clearing house for referring people on and out of the surgery. Form blood taking to minor procedures, surgeries no longer consider it's their role
Giving new powers to the GP's is likely to result in more of this. Time spent organising the financial and business side will take away clinical input. And so more trips to A+E”