Enter and view: Northampton General Hospital Emergency Department
Download (PDF 722.51 KB)Summary of report content
Healthwatch North Northamptonshire and Healthwatch West Northamptonshire undertook an unannounced enter and view visit to the Emergency Department of Northampton General Hospital after hearing feedback from the public and other service providers. The visit took place on 31 January 2023. They spoke to 15 patients.
There appeared to be plenty of staff to check on patients but not sufficient medical staff to discharge those who could go home. If these patients needed to remain in the hospital, they had not picked this up. There was also difficulty with moving patients out of ED to the wards. This led to a challenge on the space available for beds and chairs.
The department was more than full. It was very busy all the time Healthwatch was there, but the staff still made time to speak to patients and answer questions as they went by. On arrival at the entrance and the ambulance station, patients were prioritised for where they should go next and for treatment. There appeared to be a good rapport between the paramedics and the nurses/doctors at the handover point. There was also good rapport with Social Care and the Mental Health Team
The report contains three recommendations on signage and information about waiting times and telling patients what is going to happen next.