Enter and view: Leicester Royal Infirmary Adult Emergency Department
Download (PDF 798.92 KB)Summary of report content
Healthwatch Leicester, Healthwatch Leicestershire and Healthwatch Rutland undertook an announced enter and view visit to the Leicester Royal Infirmiary A&E department on 26 September 2023. They wanted to assess how the hospital were acting on the recommendations they had made at their previous enter and view visit in 2022.
Moving seats away from the reception desks has created more space for wheelchair users and there were new parking spaces in the blue zone. There are still areas where manoeuvring and parking wheelchairs is difficult.
Patients in pain still have nowhere to lie down unless there is a spare assessment room and their pain level has been noted and acted upon.
At check-in, there are notices informing patients that they can discuss their condition privately. More privacy is afforded by the chairs having been moved further back and markings on the floor positioned to keep people further away from the check-in desks. Patients’ opinions about the check-in process vary.
Whilst portable warning signs about slippery floors are needed, they also provide a tripping hazard when placed immediately at the patients’ entrance.
The electronic information screen in the third area is extremely useful but this information is not available in the first waiting area. All information is in English with little obvious consideration for those who do not speak or read English.
There is little consideration for those who have hearing or visual impairments.
The wall screens displaying numbers allocated to patients are no longer used. Hard copy notes given to patients have a confusing number. Clinicians call people in by name but this increases background noise and can cause confusion. Also there appears to be no system for ensuring patients are informed about what to do if they temporarily leave the waiting area nor for ensuring they do not lose their place in the queue.
Patients are not provided with information about the triage process or potential waiting times.
Patients still need to repeat their clinical history when referred by their GP or NHS 111.
Observations of a patient’s condition and the giving of results and medications occur at times in the public waiting areas and patients can be waiting many hours for beds to become available.
The report contains 10 recommendations and a response from the provider.