Inquest: Hospital safety at risk due to staff crisis
Wednesday 19th May 2010, 8:00PM BST.
The safety of elderly patients at Telford’s Princess Royal Hospital was put at very high risk because of chronic staff shortages, an inquest was told today.
The inquest in Telford on Francis Steele, 89, heard from nurses who said staff were overworked and it was unsafe for patients.
Mr Steele, of Lower Netchwood, Ditton Priors near Bridgnorth, died two weeks after falling out of bed in November 2007, after staff failed to put a second rail on his bed, the inquest has heard.
Susan Crooke-Williams, acting ward manager at the time, told the hearing that staffing in the wards had become problematic.
“I inherited a chronic staffing situation. We had shortfalls despite our best efforts,” she said.
“Staff levels were low for a variety of reasons. There were posts that were vacant but also the winter sickness had started early that year so we had staff off sick and a higher number of patients coming into A&E.
“There was evidence that my line managers were made aware of the staffing problems.”
Nurse Anthea Arbuckle said she also agreed there was an ongoing problem of staff being overworked and said she made management aware of the shortage.
Tracey Lloyd, clinical risk adviser at the Princess Royal, today defended the hospital and said efforts were made to bring in more temporary staff.
She said: “They didn’t have enough nurses because they had an influx of sick, elderly and frail patients.
“In the short-term we try to get more bank and agency staff but they were not available.”
She added management was aware of the staffing problems and were trying to sort it out.
The inquest before Mr John Ellery, coroner for Telford & Wrekin, continues.
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