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Prolonged waiting times in ED

Posted By cubewm68

"Prolonged waiting times in ED"

About: Craigavon Area Hospital / Emergency Department

(as a relative),

My father was in ED, triaged with a blood pressure greater than 200 systolic and waited over 8 hours to be seen by doctor. I escalated my concerns numerous times to the nursing staff.  I appreciate they are extremely busy and have to prioritise other patients, but my father had chest pain and headaches, clinical signs of malignant hypertension.

I was advised by the on call doctor previously that evening that it was a medical emergency of a blood pressure elevated so significantly. Very disappointed how this was managed and aware of the consequences that could have occurred. 

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Responses

Response from Paul Smyth, Head of Service Emergency Departments, Medicine and Unscheduled Care Directorate, Southern Health and Social Care Trust nearly 2 years ago
Paul Smyth
Head of Service Emergency Departments, Medicine and Unscheduled Care Directorate,
Southern Health and Social Care Trust

Submitted on 18/07/2023 at 12:17
Published on Care Opinion at 12:17

Dear cubewm68

It sounds like when your father came to the emergency department it was quite over crowded. This has been happening daily as there are large numbers of patients delayed waiting on admission beds on the wards. There are usually on average 40 such patients that should be on inpatient wards each day. Unfortunately the emergency department only have 39 assessment cubicles and once these become unavailable there is no space to assess new patients arriving. Significant bed waits are the biggest cause of long waiting times to be assessed in ED.

I apologise your father had to wait so long for assessment of such a presentation., the ED team are working with patient flow and the inpatient teams to improve flow of patients through the department.

We hope your father is recovering.

Kind regards

Paul Smyth

Head of Service (ED)

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