According to official documents, the performance of COLCHESTER Hospital has declined this year due to an increase in admissions to the emergency department.
The Ipswich and Colchester hospitals are facing a number of challenges, as evidenced by documents released from the most recent meeting of the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) board.
In May of this year, there were 600 more patients seen in the emergency department at Colchester Hospital than there were at the same time last year, which put more strain on staff and prolonged patient wait times, according to a 60-page performance report.
The trust experienced a 39.4% rise in emergency admissions in May as compared to April, which put additional pressure on the number of beds available.
The report contained the following section: “In May, the Colchester site’s performance declined.
“More coordination with North East Essex Community Services is necessary to determine pre-hospital strategies to support community-based rather than inpatient care.”
In April, the trust experienced two “never events” after four months without any. A “never event” is a serious incident that could have been avoided. An ESNEFT representative stated that the incidents are still being looked into and that details are not yet available.
In May, there was a “never event” at Ipswich Hospital where a patient had a piece of gauze left inside them after a procedure.
Additionally, documents revealed that nearly a hundred patients at Colchester Hospital were medically eligible for discharge but were unable to do so due to strain on the healthcare system.
The number of patients deemed medically fit for discharge as well as the rise in hospital attendance were discussed by an ESNEFT spokesman.
“We are always working hard to help us understand the reasons why, as well as looking at how we can make sure all of our patients are seen as quickly as we can,” he stated, referring to the rise in hospital visits in recent months.
“We also collaborate closely with our system partners to ensure that our medically fit patients can safely leave the hospital as soon as possible.”
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