§ Mr. RosindellTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the average time ambulance crews have waited over the last 12 months with the patients they have brought to the accident and emergency unit at Oldchurch hospital in Romford. [22882]
§ Mr. HuttonAmbulance crews wait longer at Oldchurch hospital before they are ready to go to their next call than at other London hospitals. While it is not acceptable that patients are kept waiting before being booked in at accident and emergency, they are receiving medical care during this time.
The London Ambulance Service (LAS) is working together with the local NHS organisations to further improve turnaround times. The LAS records turnaround times as the time taken from the crew arriving at the hospital to telling central ambulance control that they are ready to receive another call. This includes any time taken to complete paperwork on the patient, clean the vehicle, do a clinical handover to A&E staff or have a bathroom break.
Action being taken to improve turnaround times at Oldchurch hospital include:
London Ambulance Service liaison officer based at Oldchurch to work closely with A&E staff to identify where the hold-ups are for patients in the handover system.A process mapping exercise being undertaken by Barking and Havering health authority to look at patient access to A&E to see where are the hold-ups in the system.Recent additional funding will help address pressures in A&E and emergency services.
942WOn 25 October 2001, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced a £118 million investment for reducing long waits in A&E. This includes £50 million to implement the reforming emergency care strategy and £40 million to fund an additional 600 A&E nursing posts. Out of this money, Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals national health service trust will receive £154,206 this year to provide additional nurses for its two A&E departments and a further £632,243 next year.