‘It’s a chess game’: Covid rise adding to A&E challenges

That’s the message from health chiefs as extreme pressures continue to “create hold-ups” inside A&E across Bournemouth and Poole. 

Last week the Daily Echo reported that A&E waiting times in Poole Hospital had sky-rocketed to 18-hours as queues of 15 ambulances waited at the doors.

Associate director of operations, flow and facilities at University Hospitals Dorset Trust (UHD), Sophie Jordan said: “People shouldn’t be worried, but this is happening quite often at the moment.” 

READ MORE: 18-hour A&E waits and queues of ambulances at BCP hospitals

READ MORE: Hospitals brace for ‘rising tide’ of Covid admissions in BCP

One of the key issues facing emergency departments (ED) across UHD is Covid and the long-term sustained pressure this has added to key partner services. 

'200 patients fit for discharge'

Ms Jordan said: “If you look at our social service colleagues and care homes etc, they’ve had to face Covid too and so they haven’t been able to take our patients. 

“We’ve got nearly 200 patients that are waiting for either a care package or a home, who aren’t able to get out [of hospital] so there are delays of discharge.” 

There are nearly 200 patients in UHD that are 'medically fit for discharge'. Picture credit: PA

Across both hospital sites there are approximately 1,100 beds at any one time and a number of wards that have had to be closed to keep patients safe during the pandemic.

“That inevitably causes issues at the front door,” said Ms Jordan.

“Normally we’d want someone to come straight through and on to the ward to be looked after but unfortunately that’s not the case. 

“And that’s starting to put pressures on our ED as they [patients] can’t flow through the organisation.”

Another key issue facing both Bournemouth and Poole hospitals is Covid on the wards. 

“There are large numbers of patients on the ward currently with Covid - as there are in the community,” explained Ms Jordan.

“When patients come in and we find out that they have Covid we have to be careful to keep them separate from our other patients and high-risk patients.

“And then it’s like a chess game at that point, trying to get patients in the right beds.” 

'The NHS is here for you'

Despite repeated pleas from healthcare organisations for patients with minor injuries or ailments to call 111 first, Ms Jordan explained that many people still visit A&E in the first instance. 

She said: “The message I would give everyone, and I’d give it to my mum as well, is that the NHS is here for you.

“All I ask is that if people think they have a minor ailment use 111 or the GP so we can keep EDs there for people who really do need it.”