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Our experience in A and E

Posted By leopardjb33

"Our experience in A and E"

About: Altnagelvin Area Hospital / Emergency department

(as a carer),

My husband who is in his seventies and has a rare autoimmune disease was brought there by ambulance suffering from weakness and feeling very unwell. He has respiratory, cardiac,renal issues and is diabetic as well as having a condition that mimics Addisons disease and can cause multiple organ failure.

Staff were under pressure and there were no cubicles available. He was triaged in a small room then brought in his wheechair into a  crowded area in A and E. There was no ventilation, no social distancing whatsoever, very few other patients wearing masks. There was one toilet in continuous use. I had to use it at one point and it was totally unhygienic.

He received  intravenous  antibiotics, fluids and steroid infusion sitting in his wheelchair in this overcrowded area. After several hours he was allocated a cubicle in A and E minors where he remained for 36 hours before  transferring to  a proper ward.

The staff were kind , professional and efficient  despite the pressure. There was no safe space for my husband to be triaged and the risks for an immunosuppressed were obvious. Is this acceptable after all the hard lessons we learned during the pandemic? Is this acceptable in 2022?

The facilities are no longer fit for purpose and my hope is that this situation will improve  for all concerned staff and patients alike, particularly those suffering from immunosuppression.


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Responses

Response from Colleen Hamilton, Service Manager for Unscheduled Care, Emergency Department / AMU /ACU Altnagelvin Hospital, WHSCT 2 years ago
Colleen Hamilton
Service Manager for Unscheduled Care, Emergency Department / AMU /ACU Altnagelvin Hospital,
WHSCT

management duties

Submitted on 08/11/2022 at 20:42
Published on Care Opinion at 20:42

picture of Colleen Hamilton

Dear leopardjb33

My name is Colleen Hamilton and I am the Manager of the emergency Department (ED) in Altnagelvin. Firstly I would like to thank you for taking the time to give us feedback on your experience in our department. Secondly, I hope your husband is on the road to recovery.

Our department, as you have mentioned, faces overcrowding and is at capacity most days making flow and availability of cubicle spaces extremely challenging. Unfortunately in the current climate this is becoming an ever increasing problem. Our team are committed to improving flow and availability of cubicle spaces in ED. Our senior nursing team will always aim to provide a cubicle space for those patients most vulnerable in the department as soon as one becomes available, however to ensure that care is not compromised we may commence treatment in a seating area to ensure that this is not delayed any further. Our space is limited and we cannot guarantee social distancing but staff will try to maintain this in clinical areas however this is not always achievable. We always advise patients to wear masks, despite this being a mandatory requirement within all trust facilities we cannot enforce this.

The availability of bathroom space is a problem in the department but please be assured that there is a robust cleaning regime that is provided 24hours a day and cleaning staff are always available on request for additional clean when required. I'm sorry that the bathroom was unhygienic when you attended. This falls below the standard we expect and I will ensure that regular checks of the bathrooms occurs going forward.

Thank you for your kind words about our staff. I will share your experience with the team. I am sorry that the experience you had was difficult, challenging and stressful. We are committed to improving the experience of our patients and feedback such as yours is important for us to understand your your time in the department and what is fundamentally important to you. Again I hope your husband is recovering well and thank you again for your feedback.

Best wishes

Colleen Hamilton

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful

Update posted by leopardjb33 (a carer)

Thank you Colleen for your lengthy and thoughtful response. I appreciate so much your taking the time to reply. My husband is back home and doing well after several weeks in Altnagelvin where your outstanding skilled and dedicated staff restored him to us.

There is a saying “for a worker to do her job properly she needs the proper tools”. I feel that the physical layout of A and E is no longer fit for purpose and is inadequate for the safe care of immunocompromised patients given our experience.

Ex-minister of health Robin Swann in answer to my question stated all vulnerable patients like my husband are required to have a clinical risk assessment and appropriate action taken in all medical settings including A and E. It is the Trusts responsibility to provide the tools (physical environment) to ensure the risks of cross infection are decreased.

I will be seeking further reassurance from them as l would hope never to repeat our previous experience. Our thanks again to you and your staff for your valiant efforts on your patients behalf.

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