Shropshire Star

Long trolley waits rise at Shropshire's hospitals as A&Es face significant demand

The number of patients facing long waits on trolleys at Shropshire's A&Es has risen, as the emergency departments continue to face significant pressure.

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The A&E at Princess Royal Hospital, Telford

New NHS England figures show 12,029 patients attended the county's A&E departments at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Telford's Princess Royal Hospital last month – 1,017 more than in November 2018.

There were also 61 patients who waited more than 12 hours on trolleys, while 1,406 patients faced a trolley wait of more than four hours.

Hospital bosses say demand continues to be high and have made a public appeal asking people to consider if they really need to use the A&Es, or whether they can seek alternative treatment.

It comes as there have been further claims of patients facing long trolley waits this month.

Michael Edwards, of Shrewsbury, said his 88-year-old father Joseph Edwards was taken by ambulance to A&E at PRH last week after he collapsed at his home in Oakengates.

The 61-year-old said, that after being initially assessed in a cubicle, his father spent almost eight hours on a trolley waiting in a hospital corridor for a bed.

He said: "It was upsetting. Anyone who was coming into A&E, we were there.

"We were exposed to people coming in, people who had had car crashes, people who were very distressed. There was a man next to us who had got prostate cancer and he had got dementia and he had had a stroke. We were talking to his relatives.

'Heartbreaking'

"There was an old lady who was very distressed. There were babies being brought in, with no room, no cubicles, all waiting in the corridor."

Gill George, chair of Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Defend Our NHS, said she has also heard from people with similar experiences.

She said: "This is a crisis, for patients and staff alike. It’s heartbreaking to hear those stories about how bad it is."

Ms George said Future Fit, which will involve downgrading A&E services at PRH, was not the answer, adding: "We need proper investment and workforce planning, we need our MPs to fight for fair funding and we also need local health leaders to break with the culture of secrecy and cover up that we’ve got now."

Future Fit, which will involve separating emergency and planned care, would see the county's main emergency centre based in Shrewsbury.

However, the scheme has been hailed by health bosses who say Future Fit will lead to better conditions, top facilities and will make it easier to recruit staff.

In a public appeal last week, Nigel Lee, chief operating officer for the hospitals, said: “We are seeing very high demand on our A&E services at the moment.

“Every day we are seeing acute and complex cases and a high number of patients arriving by ambulance needing urgent and immediate attention. We therefore ask people to think if they need the specialist service that our A&Es provide. For more minor injuries and illnesses, there are a range of other services which may be able to treat your condition more appropriately and more quickly.

“I would like to thank our staff who are working so hard to ensure our patients are treated safely and with kindness despite these very challenging conditions.”