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VOTE: Is hospital admitting A&E patients so it doesn't breach targets? (From This Is Cheshire)
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VOTE: Is hospital admitting A&E patients so it doesn't breach targets?
12:50pm Tuesday 13th October 2009
A ROW is brewing between NHS Warrington and the hospital over finances and targets.
It is understood that NHS Warrington believes the hospital is admitting patients from A&E who do not need treatment in order to keep within their target to see everyone in A&E within four hours.
“There has been an increase in admissions and the number of attendances at A&E is staying the same,” said Dr Sarah Barker, NHS Warrington’s medical director at a board meeting last week.
There has been a 24 per cent increase in admissions this month, of whom the majority then spent less than 24 hours in hospital, she said.
“It seems driven by the fact we have to deliver four hour targets,” she added.
But Catherine Beardshaw, the chief executive of Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said it would make ‘no sense’ for doctors to admit patients who do not need it.
“The PCT (primary care trust) believe we are admitting patients to improve targets. When the pressure is so great why would we admit patients to put them in beds in the system that is so busy?”
The hospital is so busy now that temporary ambulance diverts are being put on, stopping emergency admissions for a short time.
“On Monday last week we asked if another hospital could take a divert but every hospital in the area said they were too busy,” said Mrs Beardshaw.
“The whole system is under pressure, not just Warrington. If numbers in attendance go up then we get an increase in admissions.
“We are as committed as they (NHS Warrington) are to stop this as it is putting huge pressure on our staff, huge pressure on the amount of time we have for the patients already in the hospital.”
The hospital was also accused of getting ‘more effective at coding’ so it can receive more money per procedure.
“In a matter of four months there has been almost a 10 per cent increase in the amount that NHS Warrington paid for hospital treatment,” said NHS Warrington chief executive Andrew Burgess.
“Has there been a difference in case load or are we being charge more for the same activity?”
Again Catherine Beardshaw denied the claims, stating that some patients cost more per procedure as they may be more complicated cases.
“Coding has to be accurate because otherwise how do we identify the costs we have been incurring? They are designed to reflect costs,” she said.
“It would be negligent of us if we did not record things properly.”
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Your Say Your Cheshire
JennyA, Scotland says...
10:21pm Tue 13 Oct 09
The reality is that these imposed 'targets' have completely altered the way hospital managements perceive their duties with regard to patient care. These days it is a case of ticking all the right boxes in reams and reams of assorted forms and data compilation.
This 'one size fits all' attitude to the patients takes no account of the medical conditions which brought them into hospital in the first place. As long as the patients can be recorded as having been 'treated' in some way, thus satisfying the demands of the paperwork, the outcomes for the patients may inevitably be seen as being of lesser importance.
advid27, Bewsey says...
11:28am Wed 14 Oct 09
Ms Bearshaw comments that it “would make ‘no sense’ for doctors to admit patients who do not need it” – maybe it doesn’t, but IT IS HAPPENING! (It also begs the question as to who IS making the decisions if it isn’t the doctors!) She also questions why a patient would be admitted to an already busy system. The answer is simple - to get around the A&E 4-hour target!
ambo, warrington says...
12:20pm Wed 14 Oct 09
Somtime after we have stood in the corridor for over one hour with our patients.
There is suddenly several beds found for these patients all at once.
It's funny as the 4 hour target get nearer these patient suddenly get moved.
Must be good time management!!!!
isright, Liverpool says...
5:25pm Wed 14 Oct 09
Now that there is plenty of doubt about what is happening in the A&E Department, it might be time for those Organisations that are required to MONITOR this Trust - to start doing their jobs properly too.
Maybe, the 'Open & Transparent' approach that is regularly quoted by Catherine Beardshaw (CEO) needs to be reviewed too.
On a final point in this post - have you ever noticed that the CEO continually 'DENIES' in public when things don't go so well. But as has regularly appeared, often 'Apologises' in individual letters to families when they identify issues, concerns or failings.
Hmmmm - it seems to smell of double standards!!!
isright, Liverpool says...
9:41am Thu 15 Oct 09
It appears from the above photo that she is having withdrawal symptoms and playing an imaginery game on her own.
Catherine Beardshaw, head of Warrington Hospital
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isright, Liverpool says...
9:04pm Tue 13 Oct 09
How can it be suggested that they are not being 'Open & Transparent' in their monitoring of such an important aspect of their operating systems. After all - they are of the 'Highest Calibre' in their specific fields - hence the magnificently high salaries they receive.
Shame on you for ever doubting the accuracy of their data.