Supporting the development of our local Emergency Department
Sussex County Hospital.
A £48 million investment has been agreed to expand and improve the existing Emergency Department over the next four years. Healthwatch has previously visited the department and reported that it is not fit for purpose, mainly due to the size and layout, which means that the flow of patients through the department is extremely challenging. This means patients are having to wait longer, and this can negatively impact the care they receive or their overall experience.
Healthwatch is also aware that many people are attending the ED because they cannot get support from anywhere else or are not aware of alternatives.
The objectives of the ED redevelopment are to:
• improve the environment for patients and their families
• to make the working conditions better for staff
• increase the overall size and
• facilitate multidisciplinary teamwork (which involves teams of individuals drawn from different disciplines who come together to support patients) This will create a better overall experience for patients and staff.
It is very exciting to know a new A and E department will be at the RSCH in 3 years and that patients are also being involved in its design. The current A and E remains overcrowded with staff providing good care despite its restrictions.
From a patient’s point of view, I would say very clear wayfinding/signage/directions with possible flowcharts/explanations/illustrations is going to be important, so when you get there, you know exactly where you need to go or be and what the process is for progressing through the ED and receiving care.
Here’s a summary of what we found out from the session:
• The redevelopment of the ED will increase its current floor space by 50%.
• The ED, as it currently stands, requires improvement. Currently, 41.5% of patients are seen within a target of 4 hours (May 2023). The Government’s recent Delivery Plan for Recovering Urgent and Emergency Care Services sets out an ambition for 76% of patients being admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours by March 2024.
• One of the main problems facing the ED is the physical environment. Healthwatch has routinely reported our findings about the environment to the Trust, most recently in 2022, and these latest plans show their commitment to making patient-focused improvements, tackling issues we have identified such as:
o Overcrowding.
o A lack of privacy in triage rooms and in corridors.
o A lack of refreshments, or comfort breaks.
o Lack of communication about where people are in the waitingto-be-seen list.
• The biggest challenge for the redevelopment is keeping the department running whilst simultaneously redeveloping it.
• Here’s a link to read more about the redevelopment.
What next
We will continue to engage with the Trust to ensure we are involved in the ongoing plans to redevelop the ED. We have already been asked to join a regular Steering Group and it is planned to meet again in September. One of the things on the agenda will be ensuring that there is clear signage in the new ED, so it is clear to patients where they are going and where they need to go. If you have any questions, stories good or bad please let us know by contacting Clary at clary@healthwatchbrightonandhove.co.uk
Downloads
Find out more about the session below.
