Work needed to cut Kent and Medway treatment delays, report says

Further work is needed to ease extreme pressure on urgent and emergency care services across Kent and Medway, according to a health watchdog.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) found that many services were well-run, provided safe care and effective treatment.

But it said work was needed to ensure there were no lengthy treatment delays.

The NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group said it was prioritising reducing waiting times.

The report also stated that ambulance response times were "poor."

Social care staff found themselves having to provide long periods of enhanced care to people waiting for an ambulance response, it said.

The report described response times for less serious calls as "unacceptable".

South East Coast Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust (Secamb) said response times have improved.

It pointed out that in May responses in the Secamb area were above the national average.

Inspections were carried out at 40 individual services across Kent and Medway's integrated care system in February.

These included urgent and emergency care and medical services run by Medway NHS Foundation Trust, Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust, Medway Community Healthcare and South East Coast Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust.

The CQC also inspected 14 local GP surgeries, urgent care services, adult social care services and the NHS 111 service.

Deanna Westwood, CQC director of operations, said: "We found that a shortage of staff, due to an inability to recruit, or high levels of absence due to Covid-19, had impacted on services throughout the area.

The report highlighted "significant delays in call-answering times" for people using the NHS 111 service and put this down to "staffing issues and increased demand".

Ms Westwood said: "Staff working across Kent and Medway do require additional support to manage the continued pressure on services."

Inspectors also found that emergency departments in Kent and Medway continue to be under significant pressure.

However, the report said "improvements had been found since previous inspections", including "changes in leadership and the culture within the departments".

The NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group said it was investing in more than 150 new projects to reduce waiting times, increase opening hours in surgical theatres and prioritise people with the highest clinical need.

Chief Executive-designate Paul Bentley said staff have done an "extraordinary job caring for patients throughout an intensely challenging period".

He added: "How we work together to consistently offer our communities the best possible care is critical and we understand this.

"We look forward to seeing it reflected in future inspections."

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