Patients have been waiting as long as 91 hours in A&E for treatment, as bosses at the NHS Royal Liverpool Hospital urged staff to discharge more patients in a ‘full capacity’ emergency
An NHS hospital has declared a ‘full capacity’ emergency after some patients were found to waited as long as 91 hours in A&E before being treated.
The Royal Liverpool Hospital issued the urgent notice on Monday to deal with the soaring numbers of people coming into its emergency department. It activated the full capacity protocol under what is known as OPEL (Operational Pressure in Escalation Levels) 4, which means that pressure in the local health and care system continues to escalate, leaving organisations unable to deliver comprehensive care.
The emergency notice states there were 111 patients in the emergency department of the hospital. At the same time there were 28 patients in the corridor, where more treatment is being carried out as hospitals run out of space and struggle to cope with the surge in demand.
The longest wait a patient has faced after entering The Royal’s emergency department is 91 hours, according to the Sunday Times. One of the biggest problems facing staff at the hospital is the inability to discharge patients into social care settings and free up beds for those arriving through the front door. An email to hospital staff said: “Very low number of confirmed discharges – please prioritise discharges today.”
The protocol means all clinical staff should prioritise discharges and that non-essential meetings should be stood down in order to release staff to help, reports the Liverpool Echo. The notice adds: “Please escalate any issues of where there are potential discharges that can be unblocked.”
The full capacity protocol will be in place at the hospital for a minimum of 12 hours, and is understood to have been in place since last week. The message to staff said: “We need to ensure that we are focused on achieving discharges in every department. Please cascade this message to all teams as soon as possible and ensure the definitive actions are taken.”
Patients have meanwhile been urged to avoid coming to A&E unless it is a medical emergency, and instead use the 111 phone number or website, local pharmacy, walk-in centre, or GP. The Mirror has approached the NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool for comment.
