A&E listening event Whiston Hospital
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Healthwatch Halton and Healthwatch Knowsley undertook an A&E listening event at the Whiston A&E Department on 13 December 2023. They wanted to understand what help people had obtained before attending A&E. They spoke to 44 people.
Over four in five had looked for help elsewhere before attending A&E. Most had spoken to their GP practice or NHS 111. Of these 38 people, 12 had spoken to someone for advice or treatment on the same day as attending A&E and eight the day before. Other respondents had spoken to someone two to seven days previously and some had tried to access numerous services before attending.
24 people who sought help or advice prior to attending A&E had then been advised to attend A&E. Seven people said an ambulance had been sent to bring them to A&E. One person said they had been brought to A&E by a paramedic.
Half of the people who were told to attend A&E weren’t sure or didn’t know if they would be expecting them.
Of the six people who chose not to seek help elsewhere before attending A&E, three felt it was too urgent to go elsewhere and two had been previously advised to come to A&E by another medical professional. One person suspected they needed a scan / xray.
22 people had been brought to A&E by a friend or relative, nine drove themselves to A&E. Seven arrived by ambulance, with one person being brought by a paramedic. Three people arrived by taxi, one via public transport and one person walked to A&E.
The care provided by staff was highlighted as the main positive experience.
Of those who arrived by ambulance, one person waited between one and two hours for it to arrive, while three people had a wait of more than four hours. Everyone rated the care they received from the ambulance service as ‘excellent’.
Three quarters of all respondents (33) waiting at A&E said they had not been kept regularly informed about waiting times or delays with their treatment and care.
30 people (68%) said they had been treated with dignity and respect all the time at A&E and 35 (80%) felt their privacy had been maintained as much as possible. Half of all respondents (50%) thought the service they received in A&E was good or excellent.
Just under one in three (30%) rated their experience as being poor or very poor. Negative themes included long waiting times and lack of communication.
23 people (52%) had been to A&E more than once in the previous 12 months. 12 people had been to A&E once or twice and seven (31%) had been four times or more.