"Very poor treatment in Emergency"

Hello and huge thanks to you for taking the time to provide your feedback. Thank you also for speaking subsequently with our Director of Emergency Dan – it is always very helpful to be able to talk directly to you and understand the issues.

I know that Dan has apologised on behalf of our service – I hope you have been reassured by Dan that whilst our ED staff are always under enormous pressure to treat patients quickly, this is not driven by our wish to meet KPIs but driven by the reality that our ED is small and sub-optimal and we don’t have enough treatment space. Dan might also have mentioned that the ED has been particularly busier of late than usual, with more patients presenting in our already small space (bring on our new ED next year!). Please accept my apologies also – even with these constraints, it is always hugely important that our patients feel heard, and supported. I know that Dan is discussing your concerns with those involved in your care and he will get back to you directly.

The issue of ED ordering outpatient tests, rather than sending you to your GP is complex, and Dan is going to review our processes here – we know that most EDs refer to GPs for follow-up tests because of the nature of our intervention being one-off – but this will clearly be problematic if access to GPs is compromised (and we know this can be an issue). Dan will discuss this with his colleagues to see if we can work out a process to facilitate our ability to order from ED, but not assume ongoing care.

I also understand Dan is following up with our contracted Radiology provider as to why the ultrasonographer thought you had an urgent condition when none of the medical staff felt had the same level of urgency. This sort of information from the treating team can create unnecessary worry for patients and should be avoided.

I note your concern that you were sitting in an assessment room and could hear other patients being triaged and that this made you uncomfortable. We will once again remind staff of their requirement to be vigilant about the proper use of assessment space (particularly in our tricky environments – thank goodness we are building a new ED and a new Community hospital).

The manner of the doctor who reviewed you the second time is concerning to us– it is our expectation that our staff are NOT dismissive but are caring. Dan will follow up with the doctor directly and provide support and feedback to make sure that our expectations, and yours, are understood.

I note that you were concerned about having to make your own appointment with the surgeon, only to find out that they were on holiday. I know you will understand that for us to make every follow-up appointment would delay the urgent and emergency treatment that we need to provide, hence why non-urgent referrals are left with the patient. I understand that you have now seen the surgeon who previously repaired your shoulder, and he has advised a ‘wait and see’ approach with an MRI. At least one silver lining is that you can have your MRI locally now that we have commenced an MRI service.

I thank you sincerely for reaching out to us. There are always opportunities for improvement and you have helped us understand ours. Dan will be in touch to let you know how things progress from here. I wish you a speedy recovery.

Kind Regards,

Jan