PRESSURES at Poole Hospital continued to hit boiling point last week as Covid cases rise and patient flow stutters.
The deputy chief medical officer of University Hospitals Dorset said staff are “frustrated” amid an increasingly difficult time for the Trust which culminated in emergency department (ED) waiting times last week resembling the darkest days of the pandemic.
One person told the Echo that ambulances were waiting outside Poole Hospital “all evening” on Tuesday, June 28, with other patients inside waiting for hours – two of whom allegedly were suffering with broken hips.
Dr Matt Thomas spoke to the Echo about the current state of play for Poole and other UHD sites as delayed discharges and Covid continue to pose problems.
He said: “Pressures on the emergency department remain and peaked again on Tuesday, but things have certainly felt intense for a long time now.
“I think that Poole Hospital, as does much of the NHS, remains under great pressure balancing the acute work it has to deliver against the recovery that is required after Covid.
“Covid is increasing again in the community and we’ve seen more admissions as a result in the last week. The good news is that patients are not as unwell and don’t require as much support from our intensive care unit, but they are still unwell enough to come into hospital.
“Staff numbers with Covid have also increased. In other words, it has not gone away.”
Dr Thomas, who is himself recovering from a recent bout of Covid, stressed the virus isn’t the only issue facing the Trust. “While it is a contributor, there are many things that are adding to the pressure,” he said.
“Patient flow has struggled to recover so we’re trying things like booking people with minor injuries rather than having them pitch up and wait.”
Other tactics include same-day emergency care where less serious cases are diverted to a specialist unit with access to tests and consultant opinions before it is decided how best to manage them.
In addition, the Trust is working with its partners in social services and with the families of patients who could be described as ‘bed-blocking’ to ensure they are moved on quickly.
“I don’t want people to think we’re taking risks,” explained Dr Thomas. “What we do is manage risks. But all this takes time and creates the delays backing up to the front door.”
When asked whether Poole and Bournemouth will experience further hardships as visitors come down for the summer, Dr Thomas said: “Potentially. I think it brings with it different problems.
“Staff are frustrated because they want to provide a better level of service to people, they don’t want people waiting outside in an ambulance. What I see is staff that care, but staff that are tired.
“Everybody is working full tilt and haven’t really had the respite that one would hope for after everything that has happened. They’re tired and that’s frustrating for them because they want to be able to do more for people.”
He also said UHD anticipates rolling out Covid vaccines for its staff ahead of the winter period.
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