Winter pressures bite at Boston hospital as South Holland patient waits five hours for trolley to take her to x-ray

Health bosses insist they have a ‘robust plan’ to cope with the winter pressures – but an elderly patient was forced to endure a five hour wait for a hospital trolley to take her to an x-ray.

Patients say Boston’s Urgent Treatment Centre at Pilgrim Hospital was packed yesterday – with people queuing in corridors and families being asked to stand up as the site did not have enough chairs as the winter pressures are start to bite.

Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board, which commissions health services, says the waits are being caused by more patients with complex needs seeking treatment at hospitals. Bosses have sought to assure the public that they are making progress with handover delays.

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This was little comfort to the family of a South Holland woman in her 90s who spent a total of eight hours waiting for treatment at the hospital yesterday (Thursday, December 7). The majority of that time was spent waiting for a trolley to convey her to the x-ray department.

The patient’s carer, who did not wish to be named, said: “It was overcrowded and at times patients and people were asked to stand so patients could sit down.

“The staff were very nice and doing the best they could.”

The patient was diagnosed with a broken arm and was discharged later that day.

Rebecca Neno, deputy director at NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board, said: “Like many places in the country, as a system we are currently experiencing an increase in demand on our urgent and emergency care services.

“Many people attending have more complex needs and require further care in our hospitals, meaning there is also a longer wait time for beds for new patients who need to be admitted from A&E.

“We are sorry to those who have experienced longer waits than usual, but would like to reassure that our clinical teams continue to work tirelessly to ensure those who need immediate emergency care are able to be seen.

“In recent weeks, we have made huge progress in our hospitals to reduce ambulance handover delays and reduce waiting times in our emergency departments. This work is ongoing across the Lincolnshire system with our partners to further improve and sustain this.

“We are confident that we have a robust plan in place for this winter. The public can really help us by choosing services wisely – if you need help for a life-threatening condition please call 999 or visit an ED. However, if you need help and it’s not a 999 emergency, please use alternative services including your GP, local pharmacy or NHS 111 online or over the telephone for clinical advice, assessment and for direction to the most appropriate services for your treatment.”

What do you think? Are you confident that our health services can cope with the demand this winter? Post your comments below