Staff at Liverpool hospitals are “struggling day-to-day” with bosses aware of the “frustration” at the difficulties surrounding the NHS crisis.
Hospitals across the country are facing unprecedented demand owing to pressures around social care and a lack of beds leaving patients lining corridors and ambulances being left to queue up outside. The increased intensity around health services has coincided with the relocation of patients into the new Royal Liverpool Hospital in October, five years later than planned.
The pressures on the city’s hospitals was discussed at the Liverpool University Hospitals Foundation Trust board. In an update to members, James Sumner, chief executive, wrote how the Trust is “currently facing significant pressures in urgent and emergency care, across sites.
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“This is impacted upon by the frequent delays facing us in safely discharging patients when they no longer need hospital treatment. This is a significant issue creating pressure on our A&Es.”
Addressing the meeting, the chief executive said he sympathised with clinicians who are "struggling day-to-day” and acknowledged a frustration among staff about how difficult things are right now. He said: "We know what the challenges are.
"We'll be standing alongside our clinicians and doing something about it." Shocking images have shown how the backlog in getting patients into beds has led to people being treated in corridors amid lengthy waits.
On its opening last year, the new Royal had 45 fewer beds on site compared to its predecessor site, a matter addressed by Mr Sumner. He said: “We shouldn't aspire to have corridor care.
"The design of this building is perfect but not in this crisis. We're doing everything we can but that doesn't mean there's not more we can do."
Earlier this month, it was revealed top doctors at the new hospital told their bosses that they are "ashamed" of the "dreadful conditions" in the "chaotic" emergency department of the new facility. A letter, leaked to the Health Service Journal, signed by 31 medics - including the hospital's clinical director for acute and emergency care and the department's clinical lead - said the move to a hospital with fewer beds “without any workable contingency plans, [was] frankly inconceivable."
Responding to the letter, Jim Gardner, trust chief medical officer, said executives had met with the doctors to listen to the concerns and pressure at Liverpool hospitals were “identical to those faced by hospitals across the country.” In his written report to the board, Mr Sumner said: “From our senior management to our clinical colleagues delivering care in our emergency department, patient safety is our main priority.
“Whilst we face these sustained pressures, we are taking a number of measures to maximise patient safety and to maintain dignity and privacy as far as possible.”
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