HEALTH chiefs have repeated calls for residents to use NHS 111 before attending Accident and Emergency despite the opening of a new £35million emergency department at the Worcestershire Royal.
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust took the wraps off the much-needed lifeline for the county on Monday (October 16) with the promise of a ‘better environment for patient care and a better working environment for staff’
Features include an improved paediatric area with a separate entrance, improved resus and majors areas, improved layout to support patient flow, dedicated CT and other imaging facilities.
Hospital chiefs hope it will address pressures which have seen extended waiting times and people being treated in corridors.
The Observer reported in April 2022 on an ambulance crew who waited nearly 14 hours outside the hospital before being able to hand their patient over.
West Midlands Ambulance Service lost a staggering 267 hours, 18 minutes and 50 seconds outside the Royal and the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch in a single day last April – the equivalent of losing 22 ambulances for the day.
When the Royal was built in 2002, it was estimated up to 45,000 patients would be admitted to the emergency department each year.
Yet by 2019/20, the number of attendees had risen to 75,000, and continued to increase during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Three years ago, the A&E was rated inadequate after inspectors found patients were waiting on trolleys for too long.
A trust spokesperson said: “We’re keen to emphasise though that the public should continue to contact NHS 111, either online or by calling 111, to receive free urgent care advice before attending our Emergency Department, and to only use 999 in a life-threatening emergency.
“Where people do need urgent care, they are encouraged to choose from all of the services which are available, including their local pharmacy, GPs, and Minor Injuries Units.”
