Hospitals to get 'urgent support' to cut A&E queues
Two hospitals are to get targeted clinically led support in an attempt to reduce long waits for patients at A&E.
NHS England (NHSE) will send senior staff into the Royal Sussex County Hospital, in Brighton, East Sussex, and St Richard's Hospital, in Chichester, West Sussex.
Staff will visit the hospitals two or three days a week from September to December, the BBC understands.
In all, 19 hospitals have been targeted across the country for "urgent support" before winter.
The Royal Sussex County and St Richard's will have to work on at least two out of six priorities including avoiding admissions, reducing activity in A&E or improving the flow of patients through the hospital.
Last month, senior managers were told that their hospitals were "working at around 95% occupancy" and that they were working "to address the large number of patients who are not able to leave our hospital when medically ready to do so".
Sarah-Jane Marsh, national director for urgent and emergency care, told the Health Service Journal: “We know this winter is going to be challenging and that there is much further to go to improve the experience for patients.
“This is why this extra support – including dedicated on-site clinical and operational expertise, and a personalised improvement plan based on best practice – will help us reduce avoidable admissions, long waits and stays in hospitals and put us in the best possible position to meet the needs of local populations.”
-BBC
