Hancock’s praise on hospital visit
HEALTH Secretary Matt Hancock has hailed Burton’s Queen’s Hospital staff for working “incredibly hard” to stave off a potential winter crisis – with an extra ward of 28 beds in the pipeline.
The minister was full of praise for contingency plans already made by staff at the Burton hospital during his visit on Friday as the NHS gears up for extra pressures on services over the winter period.
Gavin Boyle, chief executive of the NHS trust which oversees the hospital, revealed extra bed capacity would be on site in February, with the opening of an extra ward containing 28 beds.
During his visit Mr Hancock discussed at length with staff about what they would like to see done to better equip the site for the winter period – and also praised this year’s merger of Derby and Burton NHS trusts as “showing the way” for further alliances in the health service.
Hospitals admissions traditionally rise across the country during winter as more people, particularly the elderly and vulnerable, fall ill in the cold weather. Mr Hancock said: “I’m here to look at the hospital and to listen to staff and managers about what improvements they would like to see and to check on their preparations for the winter. There’s been some significant improvements and building works completed and I’m impressed with what I’m seeing.”
The Health Secretary had a tour around a number of the hospital’s wards alongside chief executive of the Burton and Derby health trust Gavin Boyle, managing director for Burton Duncan Bedford and the town’s MP, Andrew Griffiths.
Mr Hancock said efforts were under way to try to move people out of hospital who did not need to be there. He said: “It’s something we hear right across the country, it’s something we’ve put an extra £240 million in for this winter, to try to improve that, to make sure that when people don’t need to be in hospital they can get home and get the care they need at home.
“That’s one of the big challenges for the health system across the country and one of the things that we need to keep working on here in Burton as well. It’s all about making sure in winter when the pressure is the greatest, on the A&E, patients can get the care they need and that pressure can be dealt with.”
The Belvedere Road facility endured a difficult winter period in 2017 when the site was just one of a number of hospitals across the country to feel a strain on services due to increased patient numbers. Health chiefs blamed increasing cases of flu and respiratory illness, fewer available beds and more A&E patients turning up with severe ailments.
When asked whether Mr Hancock could make any assurances that steps were being made to avoid a similar scenario, he said: “I don’t make those assurances because we’re doing everything we can. We all know the pressures on the NHS grow over the winter and people here in Burton are working incredibly hard to serve the patients who need their help. We’re working very closely together to try to make it as smooth a winter as possible but there’s always pressures.”
One step being made to combat winter pressures is the building of an additional ward at Queen’s Hospital, it has been revealed. It will be a temporarystyle building which is set to be attached to the on-site treatment centre at the facility.
The facility has been described as a “semi-permanent” modular structure which will be an easier and quicker space to build, as opposed to putting in a bricks and mortar structure. It is set to be ready for use by February.
Mr Boyle said: “In terms of preparations for the winter, we’ll be introducing some extra bed capacity on site in February – we will be opening an extra ward with 28 beds, it’s modular.
“It’s constructed off-site, but it’s to a high standard. We’re not envisaging it will be used permanently, but it’s to give us some extra capacity when we need it. In the short term, we recognise we need additional capacity to manage patients’ safety, particularly increases in emergency patients, that gives us some extra capacity at Queen’s Hospital.”