SDLP launches plan to reduce pressure on ambulance service and emergency departments
The SDLP has launched a plan to tackle the increasing pressure on the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and hospital emergency departments (EDs).
Entitled ‘Help Can’t Wait’ – it includes proposals which look at replicating the success of the W45 policy used by the London Ambulance Service which seeks to ensure a 45-minute handover period of patients by the ambulance service when arriving at hospitals.
Someone once said that madness is doing the same thing time after time and getting the same result. So this document is a breath of fresh air in this running sore in the health service calling for change.
SDLP Opposition Health Spokespersonxa0Colinxa0McGrathxa0MLA recently visited the London Ambulance Service and St Thomas’ Hospital to see the policy in action.
South Down MLA Mrxa0McGrathxa0said: “Despite the best efforts of our hardworking health and ambulance staff it has been clear for some time now that services are at breaking point.
“Images of ambulances lined up outside emergency departments have become common place, alongside stories from families who have spent hours waiting for an ambulance while their loved one was in extreme pain.
“We have even heard of people sadly passing away before an ambulance was able to reach them.
“The SDLP has repeatedly pressed the Executive to deal with these issues and implement the transformation needed to overhaul our health service – but unfortunately we have seen very little in the way of action.
“Put simply, someone experiencing a health emergency, whether at home or at an ED, can’t afford to wait and this is happening all too often at the minute.
“In the absence of Executive intervention, I have been working on alternative proposals to address the issues within the ambulance service and EDs and release some pressure on these services.
“ast month I travelled to London to meet with the London Ambulance Service and St Thomas’ Hospital to see their W45 policy in action and I was blown away with what I saw.
” This system allows ambulance staff to hand patients over within 45 minutes, ensuring patients get the care they need and ambulances can get back out and respond to others in need of emergency treatment. There’s no reason we can’t do this here.
“Following this work we have produced a number of proposals around implementing the W45 policy that would make major changes to healthcare in the North.
“By making the most of our existing staff, changing the way we work and investing modestly in recruitment we can reduce handover times by 50%, freeing up 60,000 operational hours. This would result in a better experience for both patients and staff and allow for some much-needed breathing room as our health service gets back on its feet.
“The SDLP Opposition wants to work constructively with the Health Minister to make these changes happen for the betterment of everyone in the North.
“This isn’t about blame or pointing the finger, it’s about delivering improved services for our people. Help can’t wait – and the Executive shouldn’t either,” added Colin McGrath.
Key proposals in the plan include:
- The introduction of the W45 policy used by the London Ambulance Service which includes a mandatory 45-minute handover of patients by the ambulance service when arriving at a hospital. This would reduce Emergency Department handover times by 50% in line with what has been experienced elsewhere, freeing up to 60,000 operational hours each year
- Dedicated staff to act as a conduit between the ambulance service and the Emergency Departments improving communication and patient flow.
- The use of cohorting to improve patient flow and reduce handover times. It involves grouping patients with similar conditions, needs, or level of acuity together in a designated area, allowing for more streamlined care and use of resources.
- Increasing medical capacity in Emergency Departments via the recruitment of an additional 54 Band 5 nurses providing additional 24-hour cover across Emergency Departments at a cost of £1.9 million. Further recruit 45 Band 7 nurses to act as senior decision making practitioners in Emergency Departments assisting with patient flow at a cost of £2.4 million
The ‘Help Can’t Wait’ policy paper can be viewed on the link:
