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Home > News > Partners work together to address pressures in health system
Partners work together to address pressures in health
system
2016
2015
December
November
Posted on Thursday 19th March 2015
ISSUED BY NHS CUMBRIA CLINICAL
COMMISSIONING GROUP - THURSDAY 19
MARCH 2015
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
Busy weekend for health
services as partners in North
Cumbria continue to work
together
Improvements to outpatients
service
Internal major incident stood
down but work continues to
ease pressures on hospitals
New hospital Contact Centre
offers improved service for
patients
New West Cumberland
Hospital to open this autumn
North Cumbria health
economy responds to growing
pressures
North Cumbria joins forces
with University of Central
Lancashire to develop medical
education in West Cumbria
Partners work together to
address pressures in health
system
Patients happy to recommend
our services to family and
friends
Position in North Cumbria's
hospitals shows signs of
improvement as partners
continue to work together
Public asked to play their part
as pressures continue to
improve In North Cumbria's
Hospitals
Reducing infections in surgical
wounds
Health and social care partners in North
Cumbria continue to work together to ease
pressure on extremely busy hospital services in
Carlisle and Whitehaven.
Members of the public are also being urged to
play their part in helping with the current
situation by using emergency services
appropriately.
Since enacting internal major incident
procedures early yesterday evening
(Wednesday 18 March), all local health and
social care partners have been working around
the clock to provide the necessary support to relieve current pressures.
The North Cumbria health economy has received mutual aid support from the North East Ambulance Service, the Scottish
Ambulance Service and neighbouring hospitals in Hexham, Wansbeck, Newcastle and Dumfries and Galloway with 15
patients safely transferred to beds in these hospital Trusts since the major internal incident was declared. The pressure on hospitals in Carlisle and Whitehaven remains very challenging with a number of escalation beds open (and
occupied). These beds do have appropriate safe staffing levels in place, but in order to provide sustainable safe staffing in all
areas of both hospitals, this major incident is focussed on reducing the need to maintain escalation beds.
This will allow the hospitals to ensure the core wards are staffed to agreed safe levels. Whilst working to achieve this, however,
there is still minimal capacity to admit patients locally until more patients, who are medically fit and currently in an acute
hospital bed, are safely discharged home or to an agreed care setting.
The ongoing situation is being closely monitored and health partners apologise that this is inevitably impacting on patient
experience with continued long waits in local emergency departments, some patients being transferred outside of the area to
ensure they receive safe care, as well as planned ‘elective’ patients for this week having their procedures postponed. Key messages for patients and the public:
n
There is no need for panic or alarm – the local NHS and social care partners are working well together to relieve
immediate pressures and following agreed NHS major incident arrangements
n
Any patients whose planned operations or procedures have been postponed have already been made aware by
the Trust – all other patients should continue to arrive for planned outpatient appointments tomorrow (Friday 20
March)
n
The public can help by:
n
only using A&E or calling 999 for serious life threatening emergencies
n
choosing other NHS services such as walk-in centres and pharmacies or calling Cumbria Health on Call (out of
hours) on 03000 247247 for advice on alternative urgent services available
n
staying away from hospital if they have any symptoms of sickness or diarrhoea.
Patient care and safety remains the absolute priority of all partner organisations and the major incident escalation process is
working well to ensure appropriate mutual aid and support for the health economy in North Cumbria Both hospitals remain very busy dealing with emergency medical admissions and the situation is under constant review as part of NHS major
incident arrangements
Dr Jeremy Rushmer, medical director at North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust said:
February
“Whilst we continue to face very real pressures in our hospitals, we are grateful for the support of all agencies since declaring
January
“Whilst we continue to face very real pressures in our hospitals, we are grateful for the support of all agencies since declaring
a major incident in helping to manage this very difficult situation. 2014
2013
2012
2011
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“Yesterday morning we had over 100 patients who had been in hospital longer than 20 days awaiting discharge to a more
appropriate care setting and this places a huge strain on the effective running of local hospital services.
“Our staff have been working tirelessly for several weeks showing the utmost compassionate care for our patients in truly
exceptional circumstances and I would like to thank them all for their relentless and sterling efforts. “There is no doubt that the pressures being felt in our hospitals this week reflect the scale and nature of wider challenges
across the entire health system in North Cumbria and we recognise just how far beyond the call of duty our teams have gone. Our focus now is on working together with partners to return to routine business as quickly and safely as possible.”
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Dr Hugh Reeve, interim chief clinical officer, said: “Health and care organisations across North Cumbria have had a difficult
day but while the system remains under pressure the situation has improved. All partners continue to work together to cope
with the current level of demand and we look forward to further improvements over the next few days.”
The current raised escalation and major incident status for the North Cumbria health economy is likely to remain in place for at
least the next 24 hours so that the hospitals can get back to a position of ‘routine business’ as quickly as possible.
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