HC Deb 02 February 1988 vol 126 cc594-5W
Mrs. Rosie Barnes

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services on how many occasions and for what reasons either the Greenwich district hospital or the Brook hospital have been closed to accident and emergency admissions over the past 12 months.

Mrs. Currie

[holding answer 27 January 1988]: The table lists periods of restriction to the accident and emergency departments of the Brook and Greenwich district hospitals over the past year and indicates the reasons for them.

Unplanned closures have declined markedly from their summer peak, which reflects Greenwich health authority's commitment to avoid them in future and to provide a continuous accident and emergency service from these two hospitals.

When the Brook hospital accident and emergency department has been closed, patients have been taken to the nearby department at Greenwich district general hospital. When there has been a restricted service at the Greenwich DGH department, the reverse has happened. There have been no simultaneous restrictions of service at the two departments.

Greenwich health authority is also covered by the new London emergency bed monitoring service.

Period of restriction
Time Day Date Time involved Reason
1 pm Thursday 10 September 68 hours Shortage of nursing staff
7 pm Monday 14 Septemper
Greenwich District General Hospital1
Tuesday 24 February 24 hours Shortage of nursing/medical staff
Wednesday 25 February
Saturday 11 July 24 hours To enable new piped medical gas system to be installed in operating theatres
Saturday 15 August 24 hours
9 pm to Tuesday 14 July 7 hours Shortage of medical staff (holiday period)
4.30 pm
6 pm to Monday 20 July 4 hours Shortage of medical staff (holiday period)
4 pm Thursday 30 July 171/2 hours Shortage of medical staff (holiday period)
9.30 pm Friday 31 July
1 Intensive treatment beds—There are 8 ITU beds at the Brook Hospital, 2 of which are at present closed because of shortage of nursing staff. Also available are six coronary care beds which, while not 'intensive' beds offer a high level of clinical care.
2 Intensive treatement beds—Thereare 10 ITU beds at Greenwich District General Hospital, two of which are at present closed because of shortage of nursing staff.