A&E patients at ‘urged to complain’ by staff at Northampton General Hospital
NURSES encouraged emergency patients at Northampton General Hospital to complain in order to escalate the issue of overcrowding in A&E, a patient has claimed.
Kenneth Langwith took his 83-year-old father, also named Kenneth, to the hospital clinic with chest pains and he was immediately referred to the accident and emergency unit.
On arrival, he said the department was so busy that several paramedics were waiting in corridors with their patients until they were admitted or discharged by doctors.
Mr Langwith Jnr, from Cherry Lodge, Northampton said: “I was there for a good while and it seemed nobody was keeping an eye on him at all.
“I don’t blame the staff because they were clearly very busy but several of them came up and asked him the same basic questions.
“There were even paramedics taking blood samples for hospital staff.
“After I asked for a complaints form, several nurses and paramedics said they wished more people would make a formal complaint as it was the only way things would improve.”
The issue of overwhelmed A&E staff has been a problem for more than a year and the hospital has initiated many measures, including the ongoing expansion of the A&E department. NHS Northamptonshire this week also launched a hard-hitting TV advertisement to urge people to use the correct health services.
More than a third of patients in a recent survey at NGH and Kettering General Hospital admitted they had not consulted a GP before arriving at A&E, which NHS bosses believed would have resulted in many of them not attending.
NGH said yesterday that Mr Langwith Snr’s treatment happened on a Monday, traditionally the hospital’s busiest day.
A spokesman said: “We have acknowledged the complaint and it is in the process of being investigated so we can provide a response.
“The extent of recent publicity highlighting the pressures on A&E departments here in Northampton and elsewhere has left little room for doubt that A&E can become extremely busy at times.
“Staff at Northampton General Hospital are doing all they can, working together with the ambulance service to ensure that A&E patients are treated in a safe and timely way.”
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Comments
There are 12 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
KL
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 07:59 PMPete Brown...... you gave in ? then nothing will change . And when you need the Hospital and there are no beds think back to when you chose to watch that paint dry .....
Pete Brown
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 09:59 AMlol complain lol tried that once with NGH would of spent my time better watching paint dry.
KL
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 10:14 PMThe funny thing is after i asked for a complaint form things did seem to move a lttle faster. Remember its not the Nurses Doctors IT;S the system Government and we all need to complain without fear . or causing a scene. When i went to visit today a couple of family members visiting their sick family comented on the paper and said well done we now agree more must follow through with complaints It's our right for good service at our hospitals and time the pressure was removed from nurses and hire more staff They always seem to have non english agency staff who have trouble with broken english . Who do not seem to care as i found out today now that may be a complaint i may need to file.
KL
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 10:05 PMThanks lady muck ..... but i am like a dog with a bone i do not let go shame others dont do the same .. Watch this space
lady muck
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 07:58 PMKL...The fact is that few people in A & E want to complain...they are usually distressed, wary of upsetting the staff, of causing a scene, and generally most people don't like arguments and confrontation. Once they are discharged, they want to put the experience behind them. So, well done in making the effort....it's the squeaky wheel that gets the oil !
KL
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 07:16 PMI am responsible for this story and i put a complaint in but their sytem is realy well designed to put you off complaining because the first form you get given is the PALS ( Patient and Nursing services ) after mailing them with a complaint they then send it on to the complaints department !!! Why was i not given access to the complaints department in the first place . For Ambulance staff to be taking bloods in coridoors is in my opinion wrong . Firstly this should be done in private . If they are aware this happens on mondays surely it does not need a rocket scientist to work out WE NEED MORE STAFF ON MONDAYS.
KL
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 07:12 PMNeeds the facts correct NICK My father was at the hospital for an appointment with the chest clinic. The docter there said you need to go to casualty after he had checked him over and found problems .....
ray conn
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 07:00 PMPending Moderation
SteveWonder
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 05:29 PMLOTS AND LOTS qualifications unnessesary
Removed by moderator
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 11:35 AMDoes anyone know how much the "chief executive" gets paid and what his job qualifications are?
SteveWonder
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 10:03 AMmisuse is a big problem. If you are sitting there for hours and could have got sorted by seeing your GP (or the out of hours service) then reflect on this YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM
SteveWonder
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 10:00 AMOh, if it happened on a Monday then what is the problem???????? Bizarre point to make by NGH
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