Hospital bosses apologise for huge waits at BRI
In October more patients waited 12 hours for a bed than anywhere else in England
Last updated 15th Nov 2021
Bosses at the Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI) have apologised as figures show patients at the hospital Trust are waiting longer to be admitted for urgent treatment than anywhere else in England.
Data from NHS England shows 594 patients at the University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) waited more than 12 hours for a bed last month.
That's out of 7,059 patients across the country, almost 10 percent of all cases.
It comes after we have run several stories detailing the pressure on the NHS and the danger in which it is leaving patients.
Earlier this month a Bristol GP told us severe wait times for ambulances could lead to patients dying in GP surgeries, after which the South Western Ambulance Service told us wait times are caused by systemic problems.
In a statement sent to us after this most recent news, doctor Emma Redfern, interim medical director at UHBW said patient safety is their priority.
"Like many hospitals across the country, we are under sustained pressure in our emergency departments," her statement reads.
“We always aim to see and treat patients as quickly as possible, and all patients arriving at our emergency departments are triaged and assessed with the most clinically urgent being prioritised."
Dr Redfern says the Trust has recently created a Same Day Emergency Care unit, which sees and treats patients who may not need to be admitted, as quickly as possible.
She adds though, that wait times are impacted by several factors.
“Like other hospitals, our ability to admit patients in a timely way is also being impacted by staffing challenges, a rise in the number of COVID-19 patients needing admission, and infection control guidance which means we have separate wards for COVID-19 and non COVID-19 patients to maintain safety but this reduces the flexible use of our beds," she said.
“We also face challenges in ensuring the timely discharge of medically fit patients.
"We are working together with local health and care partners to ensure that people who need hospital care can be admitted and then discharged from hospital safely as soon as they are medically well enough to leave.
"Family and friends of patients can also help by being ready to collect their loved one from hospital when we call, and supporting them when they get home."
Bristol GP Dr Lucy Pocock and the South Western Ambulance Service have both said problems are caused at least in part by a current inability to discharge patients when they are fit enough to leave.
UHBW say they would like to apologise to any patients who have experienced a longer than expected wait for a bed.