News update from the hospitals’ trust Accidents cause cancellations


PATIENTS admitted to hospital for pre- arranged surgery needed to realise that ac- cidents did sometimes happen, Maidstone and TunbridgeWells NHS Trust was told. Something as simple as equipment not


being re-sterilised in time could mean an operation being postponed,members heard. Most cancellations occurred as a result of


high numbers of emergency admissions – which cannot be calculated or anticipated. Cancellations could then occur for a range


of reasons, from bed shortages to the un- availability of a surgeon. “We get a lot of letters from people com- plaining because they come in for elective day surgery and it does not then go ahead,” said board chairman Tony Jones. “The incidents have fallen at Maidstone


West Kent patients


face a long wait NEW figures from West Kent Primary Care Trust show that the number of people waiting more than 18 weeks for critical tests has risen by 81%. Patients needing tests such as


MRI and CT scans, heart tests and ultrasounds have gone up from 192 to 347 since May 2010.


Can’t phone home A GLITCH at the new hospital in Pembury meant many of the hospital’s first patients and their visitors were unable to make phone calls. The new single-bedded rooms do not contain tele- phones, as most people tend to use a mobile. However, the trust found that only Orange and T-Mobile signals worked on site, so a significant number of people were left without tele- phone contact. The trust insists the matter has now been re- solved.


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Midwife lauded by her peers MIDWIFE Annemieke Koper has been highly com- mended for her work as a staff representative by the Royal College of Midwives. Annemieke (46), fromYalding,whoworks in the com- munity for Maidstone and TunbridgeWells NHS Trust, has held the voluntary role for at least 10 years. She received her award in the Members’ Champion category at the college’s Annual MidwiferyAwards.An- nemieke’s role sees her involved in discussions with the trust about staff policy issues with its employees.


Annemieke’s colleagues at the trust have also been honoured for a second time for their research into Kangaroo Care – where a baby is carried skin to skin by either parent. They won the first prize for excellence in postnatal


and newborn care. The team of Sarah Gregson, who led the project to create the birth centre at Pembury, along with manager Karen Leeson, Jean Meadows, Marian Adams and Jane Jeal, were presented with their award by TV’sNatasha Kaplinsky (see picture).


Trust slammed in independent report “Providers have a duty to


told inspectors that, while on an average day staffing levels should be sufficient, they sometimes struggled on busy days. Staff also raised concerns that the skill mix was not always right, and that staff were spread out across the department. Inspectors found that wait-


ing times in the department were subject to significant delays. While no major inci- dents had been assigned to the hospital that day, three ambulance crews were wait- ing in a corridor, unable to transfer patients due to a lack of beds in themajor in- jury unit. Ian Biggs, Deputy Director


ofCQCin the South, said: “It was clear from our inspec- tion that patients visiting the Accident and Emergency de- partment at the hospital had to wait far too long for atten- tion.


36 East


make sure that the care and treatment they delivermeets the essential standards. This warning sends a clear mes- sage that the issues at the TunbridgeWells Hospital at Pembury need to be ad- dressed as a matter of prior- ity.


“The trust has accepted


the findings of inspectors and have told CQC they are taking action to make the im- provements required. “Our inspectors will re-


turn in the near future to carry out another unan- nounced inspection. If we find that the trust is notmak- ing the required progress we will consider further use of our enforcement powers to protect the people who de- pend on this service.”


THINGS are getting better, according to the NHS Trust board, whose performance summary claimed most


quality targets were being met, with a significant im- provement in the investiga- tion of, and response to, complaints. There were 14 operations cancelled at the last minute in December for non-clinical reasons and, according to the trust, all patients were re- scheduled and called back within 28 days. The total number of can- cellations for the year – 130 –was 0.54% of the total and under the 0.8% national tar- get, while 95% of people at- tending A&E were seen within the four-hour target time. The trust admitted it is


still failing to deliver in the stroke unit, where the target is for at least 80% of stroke admissions to spend 90% of their time in a dedicated stroke unit. At present, this figure is closer to 70% and in December was just 67.9%.


now that more A&E patients are going to Pembury, but people need to realise that, on occasions, cancellations can still happen.” Because of their uncertain nature, admis-


sions to A&E could impact on the whole hospital, members were told. With more people coming through the


doors than originally anticipated at Pem- bury, waiting times had turned out to be longer than planned. However, steps had now been put in place


to resolve this, with the appointment of a new team leader and systems reviewed in the surgical assessment unit. Waiting times were alsodownat Maidstone,


now that more patients were being taken by ambulance to Pembury, with a resulting knock-on effect throughout the hospital.


A&E ‘still open for business’ THE number of admissions to Maidstone A&Eisdownby15% on thesameperiod last year, while the number at Tunbridge Wells has risen by 20%. Ambulance crewswere still on a learning


curve as to which patients should be deliv- ered where, the Trust heard, but many peo- ple who turned up at hospital under their own steam were going to Pembury, in the false belief that Maidstone had closed. “There is still a 24-hour A&E facility,with


a consultant and nursing staff,” said chief executive Glenn Douglas. “Maidstone is still open for business.”


Parking problems ease CAR parking problems at the new Pembury hospital have eased with the opening of more parking spaces, according to the Maidstone and TunbridgeWells NHS Trust. Complaints about parking have fallen to vir-


tually zero in recent weeks with the opening of additional car parks, said chief executive Glenn Douglas. He said:“We acknowledge there were a few problems at the hospital at the outset but these are starting to resolve themselves.” Mr Dou- glas said a staff car park with a further 450 spaces, due for completion in September, had already been handed over by the contractors.


More time to care scheme THE trust hoped a new programme would mean nurses at the Maidstone and Tun- bridge Wells hospitals have more time to spend with patients. The “productive ward” programme is de- signed to make a series of simple changes to systems, administration, information and logistics to gain major time savings. Changing the labelling of storage systems reduces the time it takes to prepare an in- travenous injection by 1¼ minutes – a daily saving of 20minutes for direct patient care. And by simply moving an office, nurses


walk 116 fewer miles each year, saving 39 hours – which, in theory, can be better spent with the patients who need it. As part of the programme, the Maidstone League of Friends has funded a series of alert boards for patients’ bedsides, which are now being trialled and appear to make significant savings in handover time.


Healthcare pilot to expand PIONEERING use of technology to assist people with long-term health conditions, which has been trialled in Kent, is to be rolled out nationwide. The pilot proved that telehealth and tele-


care technology can reduce accident and emergency visits by 15%, emergency admis- sions by 20% and planned admissions by 14%. Kent was one of three locations that


took part in the three-year trial, co-ordinated by the Department of Health, which found that over a six month period the use of the technology resulted in savings of around £1,878 per patient - potential savings of around £7.5 million if used county-wide for the appropriate patients. Telehealth uses electronic equipment to monitor patients’ vital health signs and send readings remotely to health professionals.


Satisfaction survey IMPROVEMENTS at Maidstone and Tun- bridge Wells hospitals were starting to shine through, the NHS trust board was told. Between 200 and 400 patients com- plete the trust’s satisfaction survey every month and December showed the highest level ever of patient satisfaction, with 91% being satisfied with their overall care.


To contact Downs Mail just phone 01622 630330


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