Severe Covid pressures on Peterborough City Hospital revealed in report praising pandemic response

A new report from the Care Quality Commission states that bed capacity last November and December was “routinely above 90 per cent, often reaching 97 per cent,” while there were reported delays in Covid-19 testing which affected patients being discharged to external care providers.

Moreover, there were “significant delays in ambulance turnaround times” with patients being held on the vehicles due to “capacity issues within the Emergency Department and the wider hospital”.

Last November, 8.5 per cent of ambulances remained at the hospital in Bretton for more than 60 minutes, with the average time for patients being assessed rising to 31 minutes.

In addition, more than 1 in 20 patients attending A&E waited more than four hours to be admitted last November, with the percentage of patients admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours of arrival in the Emergency Department falling to 59.4 per cent - far below the national target of 95 per cent.

The CQC said the worsening performance was related to the pandemic, and there was plenty of praise for how the hospital had responded to the challenge.

Among a number of positives highlighted, the inspection team praised procedures to prevent infections, the use of personal protective equipment and the separation of patients with and without Covid-19.

Patients were also not having to wait in corridors, although this resulted in some being kept for longer on ambulances due to capacity issues within the hospital..

The hospital implemented ‘red’ and ‘green’ areas within the Emergency Department to “maintain patients and staff safety,” the CQC said, while it highlighted that there were “enough staff with the right qualifications, skills, training and experience”.

The inspection team also noted that: “There was a stable leadership team in place and leaders had the skills and abilities to run the service,” and that: “Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of patients receiving care.”

The report also revealed that the hospital’s new triage system, which means that patients visiting A&E can be referred elsewhere if they do not have a medical referral, had seen between 20 to 30 per cent of walk-in patients redirected to other care facilities.

However, staff sickness due to the pandemic impacted this as “direct nursing care was prioritised to ensure safety in the department”.

Caroline Walker, chief executive of the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust which runs the hospital, said: “We are really pleased to see such a positive reflection of the hard work and commitment that staff put into our Emergency Department,

“We always strive to provide excellent care to our patients and their families during what can be an incredibly difficult and worrying time for them.

“One of the notable elements of the CQC report identified the positive impact on leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Emergency Department clinical teams have really pulled together in the face of adversity and they’ve embraced new ways of working which isn’t always easy.

“We still have lessons to learn but we have a very open and honest culture and we will deliver change by engaging our staff in new developments to help ensure we are constantly making improvements where needed.”