Kentish Express Ashford & District
Extra doctors recruited to help slash A&E waits
Health chiefs have drafted in more emergency doctors in a bid to cut waiting times at crisis-hit A&E departments.
Patients have reported long waiting hours at both the William Harvey Hospital and the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) as staff struggle to cope with the high demand.
Figures released for August by NHS England reveal that the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust (EKHUFT) was one of the worst performing in the country, as just 62% of patients in A&E were seen within the four-hour target.
Now trust bosses say they are taking steps to relieve the pressure, including the appointment of 10 more emergency doctors, and opening up more ward space.
The moves follow the downgrading of the Urgent Care Centre at the Kent & Canterbury Hospital in Canterbury, which has led to an extra 10 to 13 patients being taken to both Ashford and to Margate each day.
Outgoing trust chief executive Matthew Kershaw said: “While critically ill patients are prioritised and treated quickly, waiting in an emergency department for a long time is not the standard we want for any of our patient.
“We carefully monitor our services to ensure that patients are receiving safe standards of care, but having to wait for a long time in A&E can be uncomfortable and worrying, and isn’t a good experience.”
He said the hospital had successfully bid for £800,000 to make the departments at Ashford and Margate bigger and more fit for purpose, while also trying to see if other departments and wards can treat patients with less serious conditions to ease pressure.
Mr Kershaw said: “Staff are working extremely hard to care for patients but it is challenging, as we need to cover vacant posts with temporary staff.
“We have recruited ten emergency doctors who are due to start with us in the next two months, and we are recruiting to nursing posts.
“We will still need more staff and we will need to make further improvements. It will take some time for us to reach the national four-hour standard, but we are making this a priority.”
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