1 week Ago By [email protected] (Max Chesson)
A leading Kent GP says horror stories from the county’s A&E departments have left many patients fearful of seeking urgent hospital treatment. Dr John Ribchester says frequent tales of sick people stranded for hours on trolleys in crowded corridors are having a knock-on effect on local surgeries. He raised his concerns as new figures reveal the strain on Kent’s emergency departments shows little sign of letting up, with almost 80 patients a day waiting at least 12 hours for a bed on a ward.
“A lot of people will do everything they can not to go to A&E, even when they should,” said the 72-year-old, who is clinical director of strategy at Whitstable Medical Practice. “We are seeing sicker people in their own homes or in the surgery who are saying they're not going to go to A&E because of either what's happened to them before or what they fear might happen to them – it does affect the whole system. “What used to be described as winter pressures are now all-year-round pressures, and there are no quiet months in the NHS anymore.
“The situation is a huge shame because things have got worse and it reflects badly on everybody's efforts. “Nobody in A&E goes to work to do a bad job - they're just overwhelmed with the sheer numbers, and it's a very sad story indeed.” The culture of fear Dr Ribchester describes can have - and has had - tragic consequences.
In February, a report prepared by the coroner’s office revealed how a pensioner died after refusing to return to Margate’s QEQM Hospital following a previous bad experience. Dorothy Reid, 91, had been left “in discomfort for hours” in a chair in the busy A&E department in March last year, despite having spinal fractures. When she needed more emergency care 10 days later, ambulance crews tried to take her back to the hospital but she refused.
She died at home three days later from a blood clot, with a coroner later ruling she may have lived longer had she returned to the QEQM when advised. But the issues that led to Ms Reid enduring lengthy delays on her first visit persist, with latest figures revealing that 2,446 emergency patients needing to be admitted to a hospital in Kent last month had to wait at least 12 hours. This was 124 fewer than in February, but is the fourth-worst month on record and compares to just 134 in the whole of 2019.
The struggles of the East Kent Hospitals Trust specifically have been well-documented, with March’s performance proving to be no exception. Its hospitals, including the QEQM and the William Harvey in Ashford, accounted for 1,326 of Kent’s 12-hour waits – the fourth highest in England and 149 more than last month. There are signs of encouragement elsewhere in Kent, however, with the 25 waits at the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Trust its best performance since August last year.
Medway’s total of 688 was also its first below 700 since October, while Dartford and Gravesham’s 407 waits were its lowest this year. One of the primary reasons cited for the long waits is ‘bed-blocking’ - where people well enough to be discharged from hospital cannot be for various reasons. There were 409 such patients across Kent on the last day of March, with many forced to stay on a ward because there was no suitable place for them to go.
Dr Ribchester said: “The problem is that getting people to care homes, either temporarily for respite or permanently, is a slow process, and getting things in place in people's own homes, which may not have been there before, like nursing services or home care services, is, again, a slow process,” he said. “At any one time, there are quite a high percentage of people in hospital who could be at home or having respite in a care home, except that the systems are so slow.” Another reason for the strain on Kent’s A&Es is the sheer number of patients visiting, although total attendances in March fell year-on-year by 2%, to 81,346.
Ashford MP Sojan Joseph, a former mental health nurse, says there is a “long way to go” to get NHS services “fit for the future” in east Kent. “I would like to thank the staff in our hospitals for their hard work - especially over the winter months when the strain on our NHS is at its highest,” he said. “Although waiting times are still too high, I know from my frequent meetings and regular contact with the Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board, East Kent Hospitals Trust, and other local healthcare providers, that things are moving in the right direction.
“Although there has been added pressure on the A&E departments over the winter months, I am sure we will begin to feel the benefit of the government’s investment and reforms in the near future.” The Labour politician highlighted the “marked improvement” in the number of patients being dealt with within four hours at East Kent Hospitals, which increased from 50.1% in February to 51.
4% in March. In January, this figure was 51%, and in December, 54.7%.
A spokesperson for NHS Kent and Medway said: “NHS staff worked extremely hard during winter to provide patients with the best care but were under significant pressure. “Unfortunately, some people waited longer than we would have liked for hospital treatment. “While winter has passed, services will remain under pressure as we approach the Easter bank holiday weekend.
” They added that patients can visit stopthinkchoose.co.uk for information about local services, including emergency pharmacy opening times over the bank holidays and where to find their nearest urgent treatment centre.
Those eligible are also urged to have their spring Covid-19 vaccination to reduce the pressure on the NHS. A spokesperson for East Kent Hospitals said: “We continue to work to ensure patients are seen in a timely manner and apologise to those who have waited too long. “Attendances to our sites increased 11% in March compared to the previous month.
“Despite this, a greater proportion of these patients were seen more quickly, with over 51% being seen, treated and discharged or admitted within four hours.”.
