York Hospital chaos easing

As of Friday evening a few bays remain closed due to norovirus however the pressures on the hospital remained changeable, they said. 

Earlier this week it was reported the hospital was close to crisis, with some patients facing 12-hour waits in A&E, a ward closed with norovirus, an exceptionally busy eight days and almost 200 more patients than expected at the emergency department.

Original article

A WARD remains closed at York Hospital today, as a nursing organisation calls pressures on the facility "extremely worrying".

Some patients have faced 12-hour waits in A&E due to the hospital working with a 20 bed shortfall, and healthcare workers said they had been waiting with patients in corridors for several hours at a time.

A spokeswoman said the hospital had been "exceptionally busy for the last eight days", and higher than normal attendances - almost 200 more than expected at the emergency department, and that "many of these people are very sick and have to be admitted to a bed".

The spokeswoman told The Press on Wednesday: "Today we are back to normal attendance and admission levels. A ward closed to norovirus has to be 48 hours clear of the virus so will remain closed."

The spokeswoman could not confirm the number of beds lost due to the norovirus outbreak, but said the winter ward would be "at least 20 beds", which will be opened early "if we have a prolonged period of increased activity, and it can be safely staffed". Currently, it is due to open next month.

Sarah Dodsworth is the regional director for the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in Yorkshire and the Humber, said the problems were a real concern and indicative of the situation around the country.

She said: "This is extremely worrying. The NHS is under pressure year round from increasing patient demand and insufficient staff to cope. Clearly, a sudden increase in A&E attendances and an outbreak of norovirus at York Hospitals Trust has made a challenging situation worse. Yet, this is even before the traditional ‘winter pressures’ on NHS services have hit.

"The underlying problem is the underinvestment in the health service and the Government needs to deliver a long-term commitment to putting the NHS on a sustainable financial footing."

Earlier this month, a report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), into York Hospital Trust highlighted concerns about low staffing levels and the length of time patients wait in A&E before being clinically assessed, although it praised hospital staff for being caring and compassionate and found the service to be effective overall.

The hospital averages 220 A&E admissions a day, but had had 200 extra admissions in eight days.

Mick Phythian, of Defend Our NHS York, said: "I would say it's pretty frightening. We're in relatively mild weather and I'm not aware there's any major bugs going round that should send people to A&E, so what's happening? Is it reflecting on GP surgeries as well? Are people not going to their GP, just going straight to A&E?

"If the hospital can't cope, we're going to be in a real mess. Winter is coming. This far it's been quite a pleasant autumn I think, but people are saying it could be quite a cold winter and all you need is a nasty flu outbreak and the city is going to be stuffed."

The CQC report also raised concerns about the operation of the winter pressures ward at York Hospital, which was often forced to rely on temporary staff.

The hospital spokeswoman told The Press: "A combination of higher than normal attendance rates, delayed discharges and a ward closed due to norovirus has resulted in significant pressure on beds, however it is a constantly changing situation and we expect to see variations in levels of demand.

"We have contingency and escalation policies prepared for significant peaks in demand and these have been put into place, for example we are planning to open our winter beds ahead of schedule. We are asking for the public’s support and request that anyone with symptoms of tummy upset exercise caution and do not visit patients in the hospital to help prevent the spread of norovirus."

Around last Christmas and New Year, the hospital faced a crisis of high demand coupled with staffing sickness. At one point, a fire engine even had to double as an ambulance to take a patient to hospital.

Rachael Maskell, MP for York Central, said she had been contacted by healthcare workers who reported patients waiting in ambulances for up to four hours, and on trolleys in hospital corridors for up to 14 hours on Monday. She said this was an effect of underinvestment in the NHS by the Government in recent years.

She said: "I have a meeting with Patrick Crowley, chief executive of the Trust, next Friday to have a discussion about it as I'm really concerned about the pressures which are now being put on the hospital and staff. The issue there is not just this hospital, it's a national crisis.

"We're in October and it's going to get worse over the winter, so I want to make sure we avoid a crisis over that period."

The hospital spokeswoman said anyone who had been unwell should not visit the hospital until they have been free of symptoms for 48 hours.

Have you been affected by the problems? email newsdesk@thepress.co.uk