Hospital doomed for winter, says paramedic

A hospital is "doomed for the winter" and already at "breaking point" trying to meet patient demands, a paramedic has told the BBC.

The North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) worker, who spoke to the BBC anonymously, said the corridors at Arrowe Park Hospital, Wirral, were regularly overflowing with patients as well as some being left in ambulances for up to 10 hours.

"The hospital is failing the patients," they said, adding they had to take very distressed patients to the toilet due to a lack of staffing.

The NHS trust that runs the hospital said there had been a "significant increase" in ambulance attendances but "systems were in place to prioritise patient safety".

"I've never seen it so bad," the NWAS worker said.

The paramedic said it was not uncommon for patients to be left in ambulances for up to 10 hours and were often in very distressed states.

The healthcare worker said it meant they were unable to carry out the job they were meant to be doing - responding to emergencies and helping people in need.

"Stretchers are only designed for patients to be on there for a maximum of a couple of hours," they said.

The medical professional said in the last two weeks there were 17 ambulances held up outside the hospital with patients inside, meaning they were not available for emergencies.

The paramedic warned if there was a major incident with so many ambulances stuck at the hospital it was "highly likely people will die".

"A delay in releasing ambulances of even 10 minutes could be the difference between life and death," they told the BBC.

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The paramedic said they were also having to wheel patients on trolleys as there were no hospital porters available and would take patients to the toilet, adding: "We don't mind because we are a caring profession, but we are not trained to do that."

They said patients were having assessments in corridors where random people can be passing by, meaning there was "no dignity or privacy".

"The hospital keep saying they haven't got the staff but it is a regular occurrence.

"It is doomed for winter as it is categorically not coping now."

They said the hospital was "failing patients" as it was not providing enough staffing.

The paramedic pointed out it was not just Arrowe Park in crisis as other hospitals in the region were also struggling to cope long before the peak winter months arrived.

The health worker said: "Hospital staff are under enormous pressure and we fully understand how difficult it is."

They said the problems were caused by "bed blocking" with patients ready to be discharged staying in hospital for weeks "as they have no care packages in place".

"The support services are failing miserably and it has a knock-on effect for the hospital, patients and the ambulance service - that's the root cause."

A Wirral University Teaching Hospital trust spokeswoman said they had experienced "extremely high levels of attendance" at the emergency department, including a "significant increase in ambulance attendances".

She said: "We have systems in place to prioritise patient safety and ensure that ambulance crews are released as quickly as possible to respond to community emergencies."

The trust said ambulance handover delays were "closely linked to bed occupancy" and that "significant progress" had been made in discharging patients who needed ongoing social care support.

She added: "We are actively working with Wirral Community Health and Care Trust, Wirral Borough Council, and the ambulance service to continue improving ambulance handover times."

A Wirral Council spokeswoman said: "Wirral Council Social Care can give assurance that we are doing everything we can and using all our resources to ensure timely support for Arrowe Park.

"We work with our partners in multi-disciplinary integrated teams to minimise hospital discharge delays. These services were designed to support the flow and safe discharge from hospital.

"Any reason for delayed discharge can be complex and varied. Health and Social Care work together to minimise these delays, working closely with individuals and families.

She added: "We are all working towards the best outcomes for the people of Wirral."

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