An unannounced Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) inspection report into the Grange University Hospital’s emergency department has revealed that overcrowding in the waiting room and reception area continues to compromise patient privacy, dignity, and access to timely care.
Inspectors were concerned about insufficient staff oversight in waiting areas, delays in completing risk assessments, and instances where patients did not receive timely pain relief.
HIW found that there were delays in discharging up to 400 patients. The Welsh Conservatives have called on the Welsh Labour Government to act on HIW’s findings to alleviate the “unacceptable” situation.
James Evans MS recently experienced firsthand the ambulance delays at the hospital while observing an ambulance crew on a 12-hour shift. Evans shared a video from the Grange University Hospital showing the 20 ambulances queued up outside, waiting to offload patients. The delays in patient handover have become so acute that the hospital has installed fans to disperse diesel fumes from ambulances idling with their engines running.
Commenting, James Evans MS, the Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care said:
“The situation at the Grange Hospital and hospitals across Wales is completely unacceptable.
“If the Welsh Labour Government does not get to grips with discharge delays, by empowering the social care sector, and better triaging of patients then these problems will get worse, not better.
“We need a comprehensive social care plan for Wales that addresses the huge issues facing the sector. The only way we are going to see better patient flow through hospitals in ensuring that people who are medically fit are discharged in a timely manner.”
