Stretched hospitals cancelling ops
Wednesday 21st January 2009, 3:59PM GMT.
More than 200 patients have had their operations cancelled at Shropshire’s two main hospitals.
The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Telford’s Princess Royal have been under intense pressure this winter and have been forced to cancel routine operations as they struggle to find beds to cope with a huge rise in emergency admissions.
Private patients, too, have had their surgery cancelled.
New figures have confirmed the NHS has been at breaking point with more people – particularly the elderly and very young – falling ill as a result of the freezing weather conditions.
Tom Taylor, chief executive of the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust, said today: “Due to the unprecedented pressure on the system, which has been ongoing for some eight weeks, we have had to cancel more than 200 operations.
“We have been transferring both public and private operations, and when the pressure was at its peak we cancelled all private operations. We apologise for the inconvenience caused by these cancellations, but our priority has to be looking after the safety of our patients.”
He said the health economy in Shropshire is working hard to find a suitable care environment for patients who are fit to be discharged, to make more beds available.
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Too many Chiefs and not enough ‘injuns’.
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no Mandy not enough beds
Too many people attending A & E when they don’t need to.
All too easy to blame too many chiefs when you really don’t have a clue. But it’s far easier to jump on the band wagon of the bring back matron campaign isn’t it?
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plenty of managers all on band 5 and above working 9 till 5 if that wink wink. but not enough to do the work and then we get the stick
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Spot on, Mandy
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“elderly – falling ill as a result of the freezing weather conditions.” ??
I find that hard to believe when the elderly get heating grants of £250 and upwards to heat their houses…So what did they do with the money?
Obviously this money is being spent elsewhere! Perhaps the heating grant monies should be paid direct to the Fuel providers, that would ensure the elderly stayed warm and the money was spent on what it should be.
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me twice first the 5th and then the 19th now awaitng a 3rd atempt
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CT, I am a student nurse, so yes,I really do have a clue.
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all this about manageent hasn’t got me a new appointment for a 3rd attempt of an op.
I don’t want to slag off the NHS but be a bit more helpful to those that have had an op cancelled.
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OK then Mandy, you’ve sacked the managers. You work in A & E. You have 5 ambulances outside, department is full, hospital is full and you need beds desperately. What are you going to do? Call a manager? Oh, there’s none. So leave your shift to physically search for beds. When you have 25 years experience and not less than 3 years you may have more of a clue.
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Every year there is an increase in Hospital Admissions due to the winter. Hospitals will now this impacts on the availbilty of resources (Quacks, Nurses and beds) an dcould plan for it.
Planning for the winter would see a reduction in the number of planned for operations and admissions, to enable the hospital to cope with increased winter admissions.
They don’t plan in such a way.
First, they would not be able to meet targets for surgery within particular time scales. So plan for surgery knowing that they will have to cancel because of winter admissions.
Second, every surgeon/registrar always justifies why their paitent should take priortiy over every one else, so overbooking is the norm, staff generally rely on cancelations due to holidays etc, (ever noticed the number of occassions when asked what date you can’t go in, you get an appointment for that date? Simply so targets can be complied with, appointment has been offered and declined).
Third, those who attempt to plan, according to capacity and previous experince of winter, are derided in the press and by the public.
Fourth, many consultants fail to do the requiste booking in of paitents for surgery. Nursing staff will be able to recount the number of times that a consultant who has negelected to do his job properly rather than explaining to the paitent, delegates that task to the nursing staff.
Be interesting for the Star to do an FOI Act enquiry of the county hospitals as to,
Planning.
Paitent missed appointments.
Hospital cancelled appointments.
Increased winter addmissions.
Cancelled appointments because the consultant has decided to take a day off, go on a course etc.
Results would indicate a fairly consistent pattern over the last several years.
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I want my op
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CT what are the managers (if you can find one that is) going to do when there are physically no beds anyway?
I have worked in a&e when there have physically been no beds available in the trust (not this trust I might add), the bed managers hands were tied anyway. We had to wait for patients to either self discharge or die before our patients could be moved to a ward.
Also, who said I have less than 3 years experience? I worked for the nhs before I started my training.
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I agree CT. There are far too many people attending A&E when there is no need to, and that adds to an already stressful situation. Yes, demand is stretched in Winter, it always is, so nothing new there. Last yer I sat in A&E with a badly injured leg for 7 hours opposite a Mother who had brought her son in because of a bee sting. The sting had occured 4 hours before and he was evidently not displaying anaphylactic symptoms, but she had brought him to A&E because ‘the incident upset him’.(Quote). Diddums. The message needs to be made quite clear ~ A&E is for genuine emergencies. If we keep it that way, then the staff might stand a chance of coping, even during the winter rush!
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I am still waiting for my appointment for my 3rd time of an op, it’s not the medical staff that is the problem it’s the administration staff that are the problem due to them not caring.
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Mandy – I am confused – you seem to think that the cancellation of operations is down to too many managers yet you then state that you have worked in an A&E department where there have been no beds – how is this the fault of the management? How can blamne be aportioned to the management – that is a band wagon comment in its finest!
Ohforgoodnessake has it spot on – things will only change when people start thinking before they come running to A&E for the slightest thing. I personally think that charging people a nominal fee of £20 for coming to A&E will soon sort out those who genuinley do need help and those who dont. If you really do need assistance then you waive the fee – if you dont but couldnt be bothered to wait for a doctors appointment, then you should be charged.
People need to take some responsibility for themselves before heading down to their local A&E department!
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when there are no beds you use trolleys. i spent 6 hours on a trolley in a and e waiting for a bed 12 years ago. let us give thanks we are not in gaza and on that subject 0/10 for the bbc not allowing a humanitarian appeal.
it is winter flu, bedblocking, hospital germs amongst other things that cause problems. thank goodness the nhs is so much better than 12 years ago
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Maandy, spot on!!
Sad but true, more non-jobs than ever!
We need a massive cull
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