Hospital misses waiting targets

NHS Oldham will demand answers from Royal Oldham Hospital bosses over performance as it fails to hit vital targets.

Patients are being kept waiting longer than they should both for planned treatment (18-week maximum) and for care in casualty (four-hour maximum).

A meeting was due to take place today between the two organisations – one of which provides care and one which pays for it on behalf of Oldham residents.

The board heard that the closure of Rochdale Infirmary’s accident and emergency department had had a knock-on effect on Oldham’s service.

Director of Finance Steve Sutcliffe said: “There has been a fall-off of performance in accident and emergency over the last year, and it is still falling away.

“In May and June 95 per cent of patients had a wait of less than four hours, and only a year ago it was 98 per cent, and I have significant concern about the achievability of this target.”

Board member Dr Hugh Sturgess, said an “urgent care strategy” needed to be put in place as soon as possible, to prevent people who don’t really need to be admitted from ending up on a ward.

He said: “Hospital is not a good place to be, particularly for elderly and frail people who very quickly lose their independence.”

Mr Sutcliffe also highlighted a “significant” fall in meeting the 18-week target from people being referred by their GP to admission for treatment, despite a fall in the number of patients.

He said hospital managers were blaming financial pressures, but the Department of Health had said the situation was “absolutely not acceptable,” and has ordered the target be met by the end of September.

Shauna Dixon, NHS Oldham’s chief executive, said: “We need to be very clear about the fact that treatment within 18 weeks is a constitutional right for every one of our patients.”

Peter Dean said: “Pennine Acute Trust (which runs the hospital) needs to be made aware we are dissatisfied.”