ANYONE doubting the care, dedication and professionalism of NHS staff could do worse than take it on trust from someone who has been on several RBH wards (particularly 4 and 29 and A&E) as a visitor in recent days and weeks.
It was an eye-opener.
Last weekend was one of the busiest of recent times at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital leaving staff stretched to the limit – but still able to deliver a very high standard of care.
The wider statistics for the beginning of the year make very sobering reading with 15,000 patients admitted to A&E at our two hospitals in the first six weeks.
Partly this was due to the time of year, even though the winter has been relatively mild.
Nationally, the number of appointments topped 100m for the first time in 2014, although only 80m were kept. This cost the NHS £700m.
People who don’t turn up put added pressure on the service and have a big impact on the care and treatment of the patients who do.
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