Tag: waiting times

NHS Lothian moves to treat waiting time issues

NHS Lothian is creating an innovative partnership with Scottish Government to help boost performance and improve patient care across the health board. The partnership, which will also work with the Edinburgh Integrated Board, is creating a Whole System Dynamic Review and Targeted Analysis at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh to help tackle delayed discharge and waiting times.

The move comes as health boards across Scotland begin to suffer extreme winter pressures. Earlier this week NHS Lothian recorded the worst performance for A&E waiting time targets since the publication of weekly figures began almost three years ago.

The collapse in its figures follows last month’s admission by NHS Lothian that acute hospitals had been under-reporting waiting times. The latest weekly figures show  just 77.3% of patients were dealt with within the four-hour target.

In an attempt to address this the new partnership, which will also work with the Edinburgh Integrated Board, is creating a Whole System Dynamic Review and Targeted Analysis, at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, to help tackle delayed discharge and waiting times.

Jim Crombie, Deputy Chief Executive, NHS Lothian, said: “Like a number of other health boards, NHS Lothian is experiencing significant winter pressures across our whole healthcare system. There are a number of contributing factors, including the increasing complexity of cases presenting at emergency departments and significant numbers of delayed discharges.

“This new way of working will allow us to zoom in on processes and procedures, not just in the Emergency Department, but across the acute care system to help improve patient flow through our hospitals.”

The group will provide enhanced support and resources to analyse systems across the board in a bid to improve the patient journey through the hospital.

A set of Whole System Indicators will be created to help boost and measure performance and attainment.

Mr Crombie also reminded patients of the need to ensure they seek the right care, in the right place, at the right time for them. He added: “It could be that self care at home or a consultation with a pharmacist or GP is best when you are feeling under the weather or for many common illnesses.

“As the winter chills bite, so do the numbers of slips, trips and falls. But it is important to remember that these kind of injuries can be treated at the Minor Injuries Unit at the Western General Hospital, rather than a lifesaving emergency department.”

 

£4.5 million boost to tackle pressure on city’s health and social care

A £4.5m fund to help reduce both waiting times for assessments and delayed discharges in the capital has been approved by the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board (EIJB). The one-off allocation will support the work of the newly established assessment and review board to help alleviate the most urgent pressures and will also improve business processes.

Continue reading £4.5 million boost to tackle pressure on city’s health and social care

Dodgy data 2: NHS Lothian to ‘re-model’

Reporting practices surrounding emergency department waiting times are to be ‘re-modelled’ across NHS Lothian following an internal review. An investigation, launched following a whistleblower’s revelations about the under-reporting of waiting times at St John’s in Livingston, has found that ALL emergency care hospitals across the region have misrepresented waiting times. Continue reading Dodgy data 2: NHS Lothian to ‘re-model’

NHS Lothian hits four hour A & E target

The most recent data for NHS Scotland reveals that 96.5% of patients in NHS Lothian’s emergency departments were seen, admitted or discharged within four hours – beating the 95% target. Scottish hospitals have now had the best performing emergency departments in the UK for more than two years.

Ben Macpherson, SNP MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, has welcomed the latest figures. He said: “Scotland has had the best performing emergency departments in the UK for more than two years – which is testament to the hard work of our NHS and social care workers.

“It is extremely encouraging that Emergency Departments in NHS Lothian are frequently meeting the four hour waiting times target, with the latest figures published showing that 96.5% of patients are being seen within four hours.

“We will always value the vital work done by our NHS staff – and we should always celebrate their success and continue to support their efforts.”

Emergency waiting times: greater effort needed, say Greens

Alison Johnstone MSP, Health spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, has urged Scottish Ministers to focus on staffing after figures showed a further drop in the number of patients being seen within four hours of arriving at hospital emergency departments.

The Scottish Government target is that 95 per cent of patients are seen within four hours. Yesterday’s figures show that in December only 92.6 per cent were seen within that time, the latest month-on-month fall from a peak of 95.8 in July.

The Health Secretary says Scotland’s A&E departments are outperforming other areas of the UK.

Alison Johnstone, Health spokesperson for the Scottish Greens and MSP for Lothian, said: “Rather than comparing our hospitals to those south of the border, the Health Secretary should be striving to deliver the kind of health service Scotland wants. The seasonal drop in performance at A&E shows that not enough planning and investment went into the system in advance, and responsibility lies squarely with the Health Secretary.

“Greater effort is needed in recruitment and retention of staff, not just in A&E but in our GP surgeries and in social care, so that we minimise the need to visit and stay in hospital where possible.”

Waiting time info now available at NHS inform

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PEOPLE seeking information about waiting times in Scotland can now access this via Scotland’s national health information service,  NHS inform. Queries can be directed to the national health information service on 0800 22 44 88.

The extension of the NHS inform service builds on the ‘Your Health, Your Rights‘ resource at www.nhsinform.co.uk/rights which brings together information for the public about their health rights, access to health care and national waiting times.

Developed by NHS 24 in partnership with the Scottish Government, the zone was launched in 2013 with the aim of making it easier for patients to access the information relevant to them in one place.

Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “Patients have an entitlement to be treated as quickly as possible but also at a time that fits in with their lives. The helpline provided through NHS inform will continue to give patients a single point of contact to find out more about their rights and how long they can expect to wait for treatment.

“Waiting times continue to be amongst their lowest ever levels in Scotland, and we want to make sure that patients know what they are entitled to. This information line will also help ensure that waiting times are open, transparent, and that patients receive help and support if they need it.”

NHS 24 Head of Health Information Services Lynne Huckerby added: “Our health information team are trained to answer health information queries on a wide variety of subjects from people throughout Scotland. By contacting NHS inform, people are accessing reliable health information from a trusted source.

“Directing their waiting times queries to the NHS inform phoneline will make it easier for people to access clear and accurate information on their rights and responsibilities. It allows people to access all the health information they need from a single trusted source.”

For more information, visit www.nhsinform.co.uk/rights

The NHS inform helpline is available on 0800 22 44 88, 8am to 10pm, seven days a week.