Is hospital on the road to recovery?

Improved waiting times at Hairmyres A&E

University Hospital Hairmyres’A&E department is heading for the recovery room after recording better waiting times.

Improvement was registered for the second week in a row and the hospital performed just slightly below the Scottish average.

However, the East Kilbride site was again below the four-hour Scottish Government target of 95 per cent of patients to be admitted, transferred or discharged according to the latest statistics.

For the week ending Sunday, January 21, 84.7 per cent of patients were seen within four hours.

That was an almost nine per cent jump from 76.1 per cent the previous week.

But the figure remained below the NHS Lanarkshire four-hour average of 90.1 per cent and the Scottish average of 86.6 per cent.

At Hairmyres, 29 patients waited more than eight hours – a drop from 44 the previous week – while 15 waited more than 12 hours, compared to 14 the previous week.

The number of patients seen at the health board’s other two acute hospitals within four hours – Monklands in Airdrie and Wishaw, – was 97.9 per cent and 87.6 per cent respectively.

Margaret Meek, deputy director of hospital services for University Hospital Hairmyres, said: “We are pleased to see we have achieved another weekon-week improvement in our emergency department waiting time performance.

“Fewer people have attended the emergency department and we have seen a drop in the number of patients who have tested positive for flu which had a positive impact on waiting times.

“Together with our health and social care partners, we continually work to minimise delays and to facilitate safe and timely discharge for patients.

“This enables people to be moved from the emergency department to an appropriate ward sooner and reduces the amount of unnecessary time that patients spend in hospital.”

The weekon-week rise in the number of patients being seen within four hours at Hairmyres coincides with GP surgeries opening on a Saturday morning throughout January.

And health bosses say 1300 patients across Lanarkshire benefited from the extended opening hours.

Around half of Lanarkshire’s 103 general medical practices opened, helping to meet increased demand created by high levels of winter illness.

Saturday morning surgeries was one of a series of measures put in place by NHS Lanarkshire in response to the pressures on the health service.

During the four Saturdays in January, 1332 patients attended their practice, had a house call or had a phone consultation. NHS Lanarkshire medical director Dr Iain Wallace said the numbers demonstrated the benefit of providing this service at a time of exceptionally high demand.

He said: “The response from practices in providing the additional access was extremely positive and much needed. Judging by the number of patients contacting their GP, this has helped to ease the pressure all round.

“Our continuing aim is to ensure our GPs see patients only where a GP can help and I would remind everyone of the other options available including advice from local pharmacies and NHS Inform.

“Both can help with self care for illness such as colds, coughs, sore throats and viruses.”

Judging by numbers contacting their GP, this helped ease

the pressure...