Hospital A&E units 'are performing well' (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Hospital A&E units 'are performing well'

1:30am Wednesday 14th January 2009 in

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The accident and emergency department at Airedale Hospital has won top marks in a patients’ survey by an independent health watchdog.

But while the standards of treatment at the A&E department at Bradford Royal Infirmary are judged to be up to scratch, more needs to be done to improve conditions for patients, the Healthcare Commission report found.

The study, published today, highlights the quality care at Airedale with low waiting times, expert staff giving time to each patient, keeping patients well-informed, and a clean, safe environment.

Gavin Anderson, matron for the unit at the Steeton hospital which deals with an average of 150 patients a day, said: “Where we stand out is the fact the A&E is also our own local A&E and our staff want to make a difference. Our staff live in the area and want to provide the best possible service for the people who live here. “Our staff are really dedicated to the patients and their service and that makes the difference.

“We do appreciate that we don’t always meet everyone’s expectations but we would like to explain that this is because sometimes we are working under very difficult circumstances with overwhelming demand. However we do always try our utmost for our patients.”

Waiting times targets are also met at the A&E unit at BRI, which is among the busiest in the country.

A spokesman for Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, said it was now carrying out a range of improvements for patients.

He said: “Thanks to the hard work of staff, we treat more patients more quickly in our A&E department – achieving and maintaining the four-hour wait target each year since 2004.

“Following the results of the A&E patient survey, we are aware that we need to build on this progress by improving the overall experience for patients.

“A wide-ranging action plan has been drawn up with the aim of improving the patient experience.

“This includes the investment of £30,000 in redesigning the reception and triage areas to improve patients’ privacy; the development of customer care training for all A&E staff; and a number of initiatives to improve verbal and written information for our patients.”

The study is the third of its kind and involved 151 acute NHS trusts with the HCC receiving responses from 50,000 patients aged 16 years or older who had attended the emergency department in January, February or March 2008. e-mail: claire.lomax @telegraphandargus.co.uk