Upgrades cutting waiting times at Countess of Chester Hospital A&E
IMPROVEMENTS to the A&E department at the Countess of Chester Hospital is already reducing waiting times for patients.
By Chester Standard
Improvements at the Countess of Chester Hospital A&E are already cutting waiting times for patients.
The upgraded emergency department at the Countess of Chester Hospital has been completed, with early figures showing better performance in how quickly patients are seen. The changes include a new front-door triage system, expanded urgent care facilities and improved spaces for patients with different needs.
According to the source report, around six months after the changes were introduced, May was the hospital’s strongest month for emergency care performance in more than four years. The hospital said 65.2% of patients were seen, treated and either discharged or admitted within four hours.
Figures from the hospital also show that around seven in ten patients are now assessed and directed to the right team within 45 minutes of arriving. The time taken for clinicians to decide a patient’s next steps has also fallen by a third, from around three hours to two.
Dr Lottie Elliott, lead consultant within the Emergency Department, said the changes had made a noticeable difference for patients and staff. She said patients were being seen earlier and that the flow through the department was calmer and more organised.
The Countess of Chester Hospital said further investment is planned as part of longer-term improvements to urgent and emergency care services.