Boston A&E suffering from “significant overcrowding”, say inspectors
Officials from the Care Quality Commission made an unannounced visit to the hospital in February 2019 and found concerns remained from their previous inspection.
Inspectors raised issues with the A&E department in December 2018 and have since made follow up visits.
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Hide AdThe CQC said the unit is still overcrowded and that the layout of the department was “not suitable” for the amount of patients admitted.
The report added that some patients were being treated on trolleys in the corridors and waiting on average 81 minutes for treatment, which is 20 minutes more than the national standard.
United Lincolnshire Hospital Trust, which runs the hospital, is looking to bid for funding to expand the department.
Meanwhile, inspectors said there were improvements between staff working better together and commitment to “doing the right thing”.
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Hide AdMichelle Rhodes, director of nursing at ULHT, said the trust recognises that it faces challenges with the department.
“We recognise the challenges we face in relation to the care of children, and we will continue to work hard to make improvements in this area” she said.
“We also recognise that the layout of the A&E is not ideal, which can lead to overcrowding during busy periods.
“However, we are currently working with NHS England and NHS Improvement looking at capital funding to expand the department.
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Hide Ad“We are pleased that the inspectors recognised how much progress we’ve made since their last inspection in December, including mention of our new dedicated frailty team to help assess and treat our elderly patients more effectively and the introduction of our two-hourly team ‘safety huddles’, to identify any emerging risks in the department.”
The hospital remains “inadequate” as rated in July 2018 as the inspection does not change the rating.