THE rate of hip fracture surgery at the local health trust has been branded as ‘dire’ by the organisation’s own vice chairman.
John Burbeck spoke out at Worcestershire Acute Hospital NHS Trust’s board meeting at the Alexandra Hospital on Wednesday (December 2).
His comments came after figures revealed that less than 60 per cent of patients were being operated within 36 hours of breaking their hips. The trust’s target is 90 per cent.
In fact in the year to date Redditch’s Alexandra Hospital only hit target once, in May 2015, although it came close with 85 per cent in August.
Worcestershire Royal Hospital only hit the target once, in March 2015.
Since these high points there has been a steady decline at both sites.
“The position is dire, seriously dire,” Mr Burbeck told board members.
“We are being told by the experts that this is something that can be a matter of life and death and which can seriously affect the quality of people’s lives.”
Interim chief medical officer Andy Philips said the trust was committed to improving the service, that a new manager had been appointed and that the aim was to put those with hip fractures on the first available operating list.
However Mr Burbeck was still far from satisfied: “This has been discussed over some time and I’m expressing my disappointment that this has not been implemented.
“I would have expected that at the very least something would have been done by now.”
Patients who wait longer than 36 hours for hip surgery are at greater risk of developing ulcers, deep vein thrombosis and losing their mobility.
The trust also failed to hit its A&E four hour wait for treatment target for the 13th successive month and all its Referral to Treatment times targets.
