The Wrekin MP Mark Pritchard is calling for the Health Secretary to take “urgent action” after hospital staff took the lid off major problems within the Princess Royal ’s accident and emergency department.
Mr Pritchard is writing to Alan Johnson after five casualty nurses revealed in evidence at an inquest how they had to contend with “acute staff and beds shortages.”
The MP said: “Understaffing is unfair both to patients and employees who have been called on more to do the jobs of other staff.
“This is not good news for the overall care provision at the hospital. I will be raising the matter with the health secretary and asking for urgent action to remedy the situation.”
Tom Taylor, chief executive of the hospital trust, said they were delighted to have the MP’s support and already making improvements.
These included creating more nursing posts; appointing more nurses in the A&E department; plans to recruit more medical consultants and the introduction of a new triage system in the causalty unit.
Mr Taylor said: “Over the winter the local health community faced unprecedented levels of demand for local hospital services. This included the highest number of emergency patients on record.
“At times this meant that as a health community we found it difficult to provide the high standards of care that we aspire to.
“We apologise if this has been the case, but we are confident that the work that is currently underway between the hospital, Primary Care Trusts and local authorities will mean we will not face the same pressures next year.
“I am delighted that Mark Pritchard MP has offered his support to address the high levels of demand that our hospitals have faced.”
Pat Smart, chairman of Hadley and Leegomery Parish Council, has the hospital in her parish.
“Any change that makes patients going through the doors of the hospital suffer less has to be applauded,” she said.
The nurses’ revelations came at an inquest on an 80-year-old woman who died after waiting seven hours to see a doctor because the casualty department was struggling to cope with the number of patients.
The hearing was told she had undiagnosed advanced cancer and doctors would not have been able to save her.
