PAH: Nurse tells patients at A and E: “The wait will be up to thirteen hours”
General / Tue 7th Jun 2022 at 07:12pm
THE long wait to be seen at the Accident and Emergency Department in Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH) Harlow was highlighted after a film on social media showed a nurse informing people of waiting times that night.
We are not showing the film due to our editorial guidelines.
We understand the film was recorded on Monday June 6th, 2022.
The nurse informs those in the waiting room what the various waiting times are:
She said: “We currently have 170 patients in the department.
“There are 90 patients waiting to be seen at the moment.
“Our current waiting time for a doctor is seven-and-a-half hours
“I estimate that by the time I go home at 8am, some of you will still be here.
“The wait will get up to 12-13 hours.
“There are currently no beds in the Trust.
“We will do our best to look after you.
If anyone feel particularly unwell then please let the girls at reception know.
“If anyone here is a relative then can I ask you to leave. We are running out of space and trying to socially distance as much as we can”.
The father-in-law of the man who filmed the piece and who had attended A and E said:
“This is PAH Harlow on the evening of June 6 2022. My son in law visited A&E after being involved in a road traffic accident (RTA.)
“He left in pain after hearing the nurse’s announcement. Others verbally abused her.
“This is our NHS on its knees after 12 years of underfunding.”
Stephanie Lawton, chief operating officer at The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, told Yahoo News that they had experienced “extremely high demand” for emergency care services.
She added: “Our teams are working hard to assess and treat patients as quickly and effectively as possible to reduce delays, prioritising those in most clinical need.”
Lawton asked the public to ease pressures by using the NHS 111 service for healthcare advice in non-urgent cases but added they should always call 999 in an emergency.
Back in November, A and E at PAH was graded “inadequate” by government inspectors CQC. Details of the report are below.
Ani
2022-06-07 19:31:34
This is very unfortunate I was there with my sick son who had a very reaction after eating a pepperoni stick As parents only one was allowed in I was worn out with the wait my child was going red and blisters all over him They did not check him until 8:00pm Ans we’ve been there since 6:30 pm I had no one to ask for help I had to go and find doctor who saw my son as it was 9:00 pm by them and he was not given any meds My son was in agony asking for his dad But he was not allowed in I was sent home 12:00am The next day it happened again even though medication were given GP was closed Had to rush A&E again They said it was a 7-8 hour wait at midnight And I overheard The doctor who worked all day had to stay until 12:00 they were looking for cover Since 10:30 pm until midnight the doctor was no where to be found attending patients What sort of system is that Next I went in due to acute headaches and dizziness Went in at 6:00 apt given by 111 Reached A&E and was not seen until 20:00 As patient we are asked to have visitors I had to be transferred in the wheelchair Then the nurses asked me are you alone ? So, now because they have to push me around they are looking for family members We were all sat in a cubical for IV treatment Other patient were vomiting , bleeding No privacy at all Diagnosis was discussed infront of everyone I was getting so uncomfortable on the wheelchair A kind pregnant nurse asked me if I would like to be transferred I said yes please She said dir to health and safety she will ask someone to assist me with the transfer Which I totally understand She asked another health care assistant to assist me with transfer The health care assistant looked at me and ignored me completely I waited for 1 hr or Perhaps more then I called for help to be transferred Another fellow patient was there His drip ended blood was still going in Then his canular came out somehow he started bleeding Blood dripping on the floor the gentleman was sweating badly I had to call the nurses to come and assist the patient And all they were doing was standing at the nurses station It’s awful what I experience that day
Wendy Morgan
2022-06-07 20:12:50
This is so hard to read, my husband was told by GP to go to A&E with respiratory problems (he has COPD), he is 86 and I was not allowed in with him. He is also borderline diabetic so really needs to eat regularly. Was in A&E for something like 8 hours with nothing to drink or eat. Was then transferred to Assessment Unit to await a bed. Son took a sandwich and drink to Assessment Unit - was not allowed in but it was confirmed that his dad was there and food and drink would be passed on to him. That never happened. Phone signal was non existent so very hard to assess what was going in. He was eventually moved to Respiratory Ward and given good care, but surely if the GPs started seeing and examining patients again face to face some of the pressure would be taken off A&E. Am sure PAH is not the only hospital to be experiencing these extreme conditions.
Joan
2022-06-07 20:47:34
The incredible amount of new build in Harlow is putting so much extra pressure on our hospital. Thousands of new homes without the infrastructure to support them.surely this is what planning is about! All the staff at the hospital do their utmost to cope in an impossible situation.
Em
2022-06-07 23:20:53
111 just tell everyone to go to A&E regardless of the issue,even when it doesn't warrant a trip to A&E. This is stretching already thin resources thinner and to breaking point. The area the hospital serves is roughly 500000 people. If the government didn't shut all those A&Es down then things wouldn't be like this. Its the hospital and staff that get the blame. When will the government take responsibility for this?
Kerri
2022-06-08 06:43:33
I would just like to say Thankyou to all Staff at Princess Alexandra for the amazing job you do under the roughest conditions. You are under payed and under appreciated and deserve a lot better. I understand people are frustrated at waiting times and many have been sent by other services but stop and think if you can self treat or use pharmacy. I have had to visit A+E 3 times in the last 2 weeks and been seen within an hour each time and given treatment needed, others have moaned while waiting but majority clearly do not need A+E and could be treated either via GP link, at home or via pharmacy. This would leave A+E under less pressure. Amazing how A+E was empty when the threat of covid was around !!
Angie
2022-06-08 07:09:51
I totally agree with some of the comments above especially with the under paid staff and how hard they work but again if doctors were back in the surgery seeing people face to face then the pressure would be taken away from the hospitals. I remember when we had the minor injuries/illness unit at High Wych and this took alot of the pressure away from A&E but it was closed down. Everything will be private soon if you want medical help where this government has run the NHS into the ground.
Nicholas Taylor
2022-06-08 08:12:22
If ever there was a reason why the house building proposals of neighbouring Councils should be stopped in its tracks then this must be the best one. PAH is a catchment area for 350,000 residents but this is set to rise to 500,000 in the next twenty years. A new hospital is at least 8 years away from being fully open, in the meantime things can only get worse in terms of waiting times and the regions ambulance service is also apparently feeling the strain and is rated one of the worse in the Country. Whilst one can argue about the funding of the NHS, one of the elements to this whole problem is clearly the fault of the Government because they have set unrealistic targets for new housing in each Councils area.
gary roberts
2022-06-08 08:40:47
Mr. Halfon now start working hard for Harlow. A new hospital was committed to by you and the man you voted to keep in office. Where is it? Warm words and BS only goes so far just like the, "scribbled note about no money" you keep using as an excuse 12 years on. Please apologise to the people of this town for your inaction and that of your government.
Theman
2022-06-08 09:22:51
I know some people who attend A&E every month. They always moan about the wait. I also know some people who have recently attended A&E for the first time in the last 10 years and they could not speak highly enough of the service, though they did have a 2-4 hour wait initially. Read into this what you will.
Barb
2022-06-08 10:40:30
Totally agree, staff doing their utmost. But there's too much building happening with absolutely no infrastructure!!!!! If we can all see it why can't the powers that be!!!!!
HillBilly
2022-06-08 18:57:15
Why are we not surprised about this. GP's don't like to do face to face appointments, nurses not enough but having to do paperwork instead of looking after patients,loads of new houses being built, new hospital on hold plus PAH to be closed when new one finally opens, really. There are some areas of the country whose waiting lists aren't anywhere near as long as PAH, 'bean counters or money makers in charge of Admin. Bring back Matrons!
David Forman
2022-06-08 21:57:46
I remember the previous Labour government justifying closures of A&E units to concentrate specialist consultants that would provide 7 day cover. In return we were told ambulance service would be beefed up. The Tories from 2010 just carried on New Labour's programme. Here is a reminder from 2007: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/a-e-closure-plan-could-cost-lives-labour-told-6682222.html%3famp
Leave a Comment Below:
12 Comments for PAH: Nurse tells patients at A and E: “The wait will be up to thirteen hours”: