Patient 'kept waiting' for 12 hours because A&E department too full

The Royal Sussex County hospital has been on black alert, the highest level possible, since the weekend

The Royal Sussex County Hospital
The Royal Sussex County Hospital Credit: Photo: Alamy, File

A patient was reportedly kept waiting for more than 12 hours to be formally handed over to hospital staff by ambulance services because the Royal Sussex County Hospital was too busy to admit them.

The hospital is currently on the highest level of alert as it battles to control demand from patients.

At one stage, up to 23 people were reportedly waiting to be handed over by ambulance crews.

And another patient was said to have waited for more than 20 hours in the A&E department before they would be moved on to a ward.

One hospital doctor told the Argus newspaper the situation was “unsustainable and grossly unsafe” and that they had “serious concerns” about the care being provided.

The hospital has been on black alert, the highest level possible, since the weekend, with frontline doctors and nurses and managerial staff working to get the hospital working more smoothly.

Yesterday, some patients were being diverted from the Royal Sussex A&E to Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath.

Princess Royal Hospital

However the critically ill and seriously injured were still admitted.

Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust said both its A&E departments in Brighton and Haywards Heath were exceptionally busy with some very sick patients. It said all patients who have to wait in A&E are seen by a clinician within 20 minutes of arriving and are regularly monitored in a safe environment.

Chief nurse Sherree Fagge, told the Argus: “The staff response has been superb, including staff from other areas of the hospital who have come to join the emergency department teams.

“We are confident we are keeping patients safe but it is a very tough environment for staff to work in at the moment.”

Gary Palmer from the GMB union said the current crisis was a symptom of years of Government underfunding and a lack of resources for the NHS.

He said: “We are constantly getting notified by staff, particularly the nurses, who are constantly fearful of the pressures.

“They are trying their best to protect the patients and the service and the hospital as well and they are bearing the brunt of it.

“This used to be a seasonal thing but now this high level of capacity is happening all year round.

“The whole system is at breaking point.”

UPDATE: Following the publication of this article, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust have asked us to make clear its position that a patient did not in fact wait 12 hours to be handed over by the ambulance service. We are happy to do so.