View from Westminster 16th January 2015 The current news arena is dominated by two massive stories: the appalling massacres in Paris; and the pressures on NHS accident and emergency departments. The tragedy in Paris is an important story – especially its implications for the free press and our right to free expression. However, whilst it is of enormous importance to our own security, I rather suspect that the issues regarding our own NHS in Worcestershire is of more immediate concern to local residents in Wyre Forest. I have been in touch with the Acute Hospitals Trust and they, like the rest of the country, are facing the same pressures. All trusts prepare for the winter and as a matter of course, all of us Worcestershire MPs meet regularly with the Acute Hospitals Trust to learn about their plans for, amongst other things, the winter surge. More beds are brought online and more doctors and nurses are recruited to meet the pick-up in demand. But the current extra demand is particularly linked to flu and respiratory illness. Many of these patients are over 75 and these patients need to be admitted to hospital. Because they are frail and need more care, they cannot be discharged without having a decent care package in place and so if that is not immediately available, they can end up staying in beds that are needed for other A+E patients. Demand for ambulances is up 13% over the same period last year. West Midlands Ambulance paramedics are treating record numbers of people at the scene so around half patients seen do not have to be admitted to hospital. Other initiatives to help include putting a GP in the minor injuries unit (MIU) in Kidderminster so not just minor injuries, but also minor illnesses can be dealt with. This alone should be able to divert up to 14 patients a day from other A+E departments locally. The smaller MIUs in Bromsgrove, Tenbury, Evesham and Malvern are relatively under used and so provide some slack in the system, and pharmacists are well placed to give advice on minor ailments. There is no doubt about it, the system is certainly creaking and when the pressure eases, there will be a time to seriously look at how we can link the various services – police, fire, social services, GP surgeries - to work together to help the acute A+E departments. The problems and complex and need resolving.
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 11:30:41 +0000
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