There are not always enough doctors and nurses to care for the ballooning number of people attending the accident and emergency unit at the Royal Preston Hospital.
That was one of the main conclusions of an inspection report which heaped praise on staff at the under-pressure facility for how they look after those in need of help – but also warned that staffing levels must always be “safe for the numbers of patients in the department”. Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission spent two days at the hospital’s A&E in April as part of a broader assessment of urgent and emergency care services across Lancashire and South Cumbria.
Across both of those sites, attendances at urgent and emergency care facilities leapt by 22 percent between December 2020 and November 2021 compared to the previous 12 months – to stand at just over 160,000 in total. While some of that increase may have been accounted for by the fact that the comparable period incorporated the early months of the pandemic, it continued an upward trend for A&E visits that had begun prior to the emergence of Covid.
“[They] were discreet and responsive when caring for patients [and] took time to interact with patients and those close to them in a respectful and considerate way. Staff understood and respected the individual needs of each patient and showed understanding and a non-judgemental attitude when caring for or discussing patients with physical or mental health needs.”
Their report revealed that consultants were sometimes having to work long beyond the end of their shifts – with those clinicians due to clock off at midnight sometimes still being at the hospital as late as 4am so that they could oversee any seriously ill patients. While the funded establishment for medical posts at the trust had jumped by more than two thirds to 108 compared to July 2019, 12 of those posts were vacant at the time of the inspection.
The safety and responsiveness of the Royal Preston’s emergency department was rated by inspectors as requiring improvement – two further categories which were unchanged from the last full inspection three years ago. However, executive leaders were recognised for being available to support staff and being well-informed of any concerns. Staff were also said to feel “respected, supported and valued by their managers”.
“As ever, I would like to pay tribute to NHS colleagues throughout Lancashire and South Cumbria who continue to do incredible work on a daily basis,” Mr. McGee added.The CQC said that patients at the Royal Preston’s A&E sometimes had to “wait long periods for treatment due to high demand and lack of a capacity in the hospital”.
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