400 days of ‘mayhem’
MSP wants‘Code black’answers
NHS Lanarkshire has endured 400 days of “dangerous”‘Code Black’ status with thousands of patients experiencing gruelling wait times.
Shocking figures released from new Public Health Scotland data show that, in the week ending January 29, a staggering 2000 A&E attendees waited over eight hours to be seen.
Patients across Lanarkshire experienced gruelling wait times, with only 57 per cent being seen within four hours and hundreds waiting over 12 hours.
Monday marked the 400th day of NHS Lanarkshire being in ‘Code Black’ status due to all three acute hospitals reaching critical occupancy levels.
Central Scotland Labour MSP Monica Lennon blasted the figures, saying staff are “at their wits’ end” and deserve an explanation from the Health Secretary who last week claimed A&E wait times were improving.
The health board was first declared to be in ‘Code Black’ status in October 2021 until May 2022, only to be placed back into ‘Code Black’ level in July and has stayed there for 196 consecutive days.
Ms Lennon said: “It is a bleak time for staff and patients across NHS Lanarkshire, who have been thrown in and out of code black status for the best part of a year.
“The Health Secretary claimed last week that we were seeing improvements in A&E wait times, but this week’s figures tell a different story. The only thing we are seeing is complacency from the Scottish Government.
“When we look at these figures in their wider context, the situation only gets more frightening. In December, only 45 per cent of A&E attendees across NHS Lanarkshire were seen within the recommended time frame – the lowest rate across the whole of Scotland.
“Healthcare staff across NHS Lanarkshire have worked tirelessly throughout this code black mayhem, but they are at their wits’ end and deserve an explanation from the Health Secretary on how this has carried on for 400 days. The Scottish Government appear to think that if they ignore this issue, it will go away, but December waiting time figures are clear evidence that without addressing the root causes, this situation is only going to get worse.”
In response, NHS Lanarkshire said it has launched Operation FLOW – a positive and ambitious plan to reduce service pressures, wait times and improve patient care and experience. Professor Jann Gardner, chief executive of NHS Lanarkshire, said: “Operation FLOW is a hugely exciting opportunity to make the improvements our patients and staff need in the face of the challenges experienced not just in Lanarkshire, but in health and care services across the country.
“Crucially, Operation FLOW is based on tried and tested approaches. It’s about taking the approaches that we know will work and make a difference, and putting them together in a coordinated and focused way that brings the maximum benefit to our patients and staff. While the firebreak is really important to what we are doing and will bring immediate benefits, its greatest value is that it will free up the capacity and energy needed to bring about sustainable improvements to our services – improvements that will make our whole health and care system more robust and resilient in the face of future periods of pressure.”
Operation FLOW is a whole-system approach that involves NHS Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership, Health and Social Care North Lanarkshire and the Scottish Ambulance Service working together closely.
Professor Gardner said: “By working together, we want to be able to get patients coming through our emergency departments seen, treated and either admitted or discharged as quickly as possible. At the same time, we need to be able to discharge patients, who are clinically fit, to their own home or another appropriate care setting.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Health Secretary has met the chair and CEO of NHS Lanarkshire this week to discuss current pressures the board is facing and actions to drive forward improvement in performance in the coming weeks and months.
“Our resilience committee continues to monitor the situation in hospitals extremely closely and we remain in regular contact with NHS Lanarkshire, and all boards, to ensure every possible action is being taken to support services.
“We are increasing NHS24 staffing to help cope with rises in demand and our procurement of 300 additional interim care home beds will help alleviate pressures causes by delayed discharge. We are grateful to staff for their exceptional work in the face of on-going pressure.”
Turn to p12 for more on Operation FLOW.