Patiently Waiting: A review of patient experience from the A&E Department at Manchester Royal Infirmary Hospital

This report presents key findings and recommendations based upon the opinions and feedback from patients interviewed in the Accident and Emergency (A&E) waiting areas at Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI).

Face to face interviews and surveys were conducted with 107 people who were in the A&E waiting area.

The results from this research formed the following conclusions:

• There are a significant number of people being referred to A&E through their GP or the 111 service.
• The majority of respondents reported a positive experience of using a GP practice, 111 and the A&E service. However, the waiting time to be seen is an issue for many users of the A&E service.
• People aged between 18 and 29 years appear to be over-represented in the A&E service.
• People from the M14 postcode area and from minority ethnic backgrounds also appear to be overrepresented in the A&E service.
• The proportion of people who stated they had a disability using the A&E service appears to be lower than the Manchester disability demographic.
•  There appears to be a need for improvement in communication between services which impacts on referral.
• There is an identified need for appointment forms to be made available in other languages.

These informed Healthwatch Manchester’s recommendations:

• The referrals system via 111 or otherwise from a GP practice requires a separate review to examine efficiency gains and improve patient experience.
• Communication, both inter-service (Between GPs, the 111 service and A&E) and for patients for whom English is a second language, also requires review to examine efficiency gains and improve patient experience.
• A more detailed look into the reasons why certain groups of people are overrepresented in the A&E waiting rooms is required.
• HWM should review and improve its demographic monitoring arrangements.