One patient died after spending hours in an ambulance queue in front of the emergency and accident department at Leicester Royal Infirmary. The person was rushed to hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest, but died while waiting to be delivered to clinical staff.
The death in April has been revealed by a request for freedom of information filed by Zuffar Haq, a longtime health advocate and Liberal Democrat. Haq asked for information on the number of patients who had died in an ambulance between January and May this year.
The BBC reported that the patient was left waiting for more than two hours. Target delivery time to emergency services is assumed to be 15 minutes.
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Richard Mitchell, executive director of Leicester Hospitals, said: “Our thoughts are with the patient’s family at this difficult time.
“Patients in hospitals and ambulances are evaluated periodically to ensure that any deterioration is detected as soon as possible so that appropriate medical interventions can be put in place. If an unexpected death occurs, review to ensure safety and processes. These processes help to keep patients safe. “
When patients are left waiting in ambulances, they are usually observed periodically and any questions are reported to the Emergency Department. However, relocating patients from the East Midlands ambulance service to hospitals in the region remains a “major operational challenge,” according to a report by EMAS CEO Richard Henderson.
In April of this year, EMAS lost a total of 16,500 hours of resources because our teams were delayed in waiting to deliver patients to hospitals in the region.
Royal Leicester Nursing
Across Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland, more than 1,500 ambulances were delayed for more than four hours this year, until 31 May. The Health Security Research Branch (HSIB) has launched an investigation into the damage caused by delays in delivering patients to resolve the issue. at the national level.
Martin Flaherty OBE, QAM, Director General of the Association of Ambulance Executive Directors (AACE), said: “The ambulance industry welcomes any proactive initiative that will accelerate progress in immediate reduction – and eventual eradication. – hospital delivery delays.
“As we have consistently pointed out in recent months, we now know that patients suffer additional damage when our ambulance crews are unable to bring them to the care of hospital staff in the emergency departments. To be treated in the back An outpatient ambulance is not a safe or viable solution for any patient, while the negative effect on the morale and well-being of our ambulance crews is significant.
“Even though these ambulances and crews are tied up in hospitals, they can’t answer other calls that may need urgent treatment and lifesaving. In some regions, ambulance services are usually wasting a third of their hours. available to treat patients., only for delays in hospital transfer, an unprecedented and unsustainable situation.
“That’s why we agree with HSIB that action must be taken immediately that involves a whole system approach with a strong emphasis on patient safety. We support the call for the Department of Health and Social Care to act on an immediate national strategic response to care for the patient: health and social care safety issues arising from the flow of in and out of hospitals to the right place of care We also support the call of the HSIB for an integrated long-term review of the health system and social to address these issues.
“Our message is clear; there is no time to waste in finding solutions to unnecessary delays in hospital transfers. With each passing day, more and more patients are harmed while trapped outside hospitals or waiting for our equipment in the community, and that is totally unacceptable. “
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