New Bournemouth emergency department 'incredible', says doctor
The branch is twice the size of the previous Bournemouth and Poole emergency departments and is part of a huge shake up to University Hospital Dorset sites.Robert was one of the first patients to be cared for after a fall at home.He said: "I felt strange and wobbly which is something that's happened a lot to me. I've been to a lot of hospitals all over the world this is streaks ahead, much better."
David Martin, consultant in emergency medicine, said: "It is incredible, it's just what I hoped it would be and I can already see the benefit, I can already see our patients benefitting and actually the staff as well."No patient ever wants to be in the emergency department, you don't want to be unwell, but if you're unwell you want to be in a clean, dignified environment and that's what we can now provide."
'Helps massively'
Staff said patient waits for care should fall thanks to a quicker triage system and the new layout design meant quicker access to scans.One nurse said the site was "brilliant", while another added the extra space "helps massively with the flow of the department".Currently, the new department is only caring for Bournemouth patients, with Poole emergency department remaining open for an estimated eight more months.Juliet Browning, a consultant in emergency medicine, said: "Poole is still very much open for business. It's still the emergency department as it was previously, still the area's trauma unit and still has paediatrics on site."So if you would normally go to Poole hospital, still go to that emergency department."
You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
30 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Three million on NHS England waiting lists have had no care since GP referral
Almost half of the 6 million people needing treatment from the NHS in England have had no further care at all since joining a hospital waiting list, new data reveals. Previously unseen NHS England figures show that 2.99 million of the 6.23 million patients (48%) awaiting care have not had either their first appointment with a specialist or a diagnostic test since being referred by a GP. The Patients Association described the situation as 'an invisible waiting list crisis' that was 'staggering' in scale, with millions living in limbo, anxious as their health deteriorates. The data raises doubts about Keir Starmer's repeated pledge that 92% of patients will be treated within 18 weeks of referral by 2029 – his key promise to voters on health. The target has not been hit since 2015, and in May just 61% were treated on time. In a further sign of how difficult it will be to meet that target, the data shows that a third of the 3 million unseen patients – 1 million people – have already waited more than 18 weeks without receiving any care. It is the first time the phenomenon of 'unseen patients' has emerged as part of the huge challenge facing the government in its drive to 'get the NHS back on its feet'. Until now debate around the NHS backlog has focused on the number of treatments patients are due to receive and how many are waiting – currently 7.36m and 6.23m respectively. 'If accurate, 3 million people are trapped in an invisible waiting list crisis, stuck without basic diagnostic tests of first appointments while their conditions worsen,' said Rachel Power, the chief executive of the Patients Association. 'The scale is staggering, as nearly half of all patients on a waiting list haven't been seen by anyone. That's not a healthcare service; that's a breakdown. 'These aren't just statistics. They're people checking their phones daily for hospital calls that never come, unable to plan their lives while their symptoms deteriorate.' The figures have been collated and analysed by the health data specialist MBI Health, which helps dozens of NHS trusts improve their treatment waiting times. It has shared its findings with the Guardian. Barry Mulholland, the firm's founder and a former NHS manager, said the health service should see the waiting list as 'a frontlog, not a backlog', because so many people had not had their 'first clinical contact' after joining it. In recent years ministers and NHS bosses have made reducing the number of people waiting 12 or 18 months for care their priority. 'There are so many people who have already waited so long without seeing anyone – 3 million unseen patients who haven't had their first contact. 'Unless that's dealt with, you will never achieve that target of seeing and treating patients within 18 weeks. 'From the government's point of view, the pledge to get back to 18 weeks by 2029 will be really hard to accomplish if this huge group of patients isn't seen more quickly.' 'We'll never clear the waiting list if we don't fix the point where patients enter the system, and long delays begin,' he added. Sign up to Headlines UK Get the day's headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion NHS England acknowledged the vast number of people who had had no NHS care since joining the waiting list. Of the 7.3m treatments patients were waiting for, 4.7m – nearly two-thirds (64%) – were for people who had not had a first consultation with a specialist or a diagnostic test yet. And 1.6m of this 4.7m had already gone beyond the 18-week supposed maximum waiting time for treatment, it added. Alison Bennett, a Liberal Democrat health spokesperson, said: 'These figures are harrowing. Behind every one of these numbers is a person in pain, anxious about their health, and desperately waiting for their first contact from a clinician. 'This isn't a problem that appeared overnight; it's the direct result of the Conservative party mismanaging our NHS for years. It is unacceptable that millions of people are still being left in a state of limbo, while their conditions potentially worsen.' Ministers would only 'fix' the NHS if they overhauled social care to unblock jammed-up hospitals, she added. MBI's analysis also found that the medical specialities with the largest number of unseen patients were ear, nose and throat care, orthopaedics, eye care, gastroenterology and gynaecology. Between 67% and 75% of those waiting lists are made up of such patients, Mulholland added. The Department of Health and Social Care did not comment on the 3 million unseen patients. A spokesperson said only that: 'Thanks to this government's record investment, reforms and the hard work of NHS staff, we've cut the waiting list by over 260,000 since July 2024, which also fell for the first time in 17 years in April and May outside the pandemic. On top of this, we have also delivered 4.6m appointments – more than double the 2m we promised. 'This government is delivering the fundamental reform needed to turn our NHS around, and our 10-year health plan will build on this progress, to ensure we meet our target that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks for treatment by March 2029.'
The Sun
30 minutes ago
- The Sun
Full list of jobs that qualify for Blue Light Card – with savings of £800 a year including at Asda and Starbucks
MILLIONS of workers can get access to discounts of up to £800 a year thanks to the Blue Light Card. The discount scheme was set up in 2008 to reward "Blue Light" and public sector workers with discounts from a number of retailers, including Apple, Asda and Domino's. Card members can save an average of over £800 per year, based on an average saving of £70 monthly on groceries and other everyday essentials. You can use it to get discounts on clothes, holidays, insurance and even cars, and it can be used to across thousands of restaurants, shops and venues. There are around 15,000 discounts to choose from. It's typically available to NHS staff, emergency services, social care workers, and armed forces personnel. However, the scheme was extended last year to teachers, leading to thousands more signing up for an account. Primary and secondary school teachers are eligible, as well as those as Sixth Form colleges and Special Schools. Staff that work in higher education are not currently included in the scheme. When it was announced the scheme would be extended to teachers last year, the website and app crashed due to "unprecedented demand" on the system. If you're eligible for the card, you can get a digital one for free or it costs £4.99 for a physical card, which lasts two years. You can use the digital card by downloading the Blue Light Card app via Google Play or the App Store. It also has a interactive map feature to help you find local discounts closest to your chosen location. Who is eligible for the card? Anyone in the following roles is eligible for the card: Ambulance service Blood bikes Fire service Highways traffic officers HM armed forces HM armed forces veteran HM coastguard HM prison and probation service Home Office (Borders and Immigration) Independent lifeboats MoD civil servant MoD fire service MoD police NHS NHS Dental Practice Pharmacy Police Red cross Reserved army forces RNLI Search and rescue Social care St Andrews ambulance St John ambulance Teachers excluding higher education staff How to register for a Blue Light Card To be eligible for a Blue Light Card, you' ll need to prove your profession by uploading a form of valid ID or recent payslip. To sign up, just head to the Blue Light Card website where you'll have to fill out a form. Bear in mind, you'll be asked a couple of questions, for example, about your job title and where you work. The retailers that participate in the Blue Light Card scheme can change regularly, meaning there isn't a comprehensive list of stores you can use it at. So it's worth checking whether the discount is valid on the store website if you're shopping online, or asking a member of staff when at the till in-store - the worst they can say is no. Some of the current participating brands include: Apple Hotpoint JD Sports Toby Carvery New Look Odeon Ray Ban Abercrombie & Fitch Samsung Starbucks Superdry Cineworld Popeyes Asda Always make sure to shop around for better offers before making a purchase to be sure you're getting the best deal possible. Blue Light Card holders can also make big savings on their holidays with discounts from companies such as Jet2, EasyJet and Expedia. Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
NHS bosses ‘still on the hook' despite nurse Sandie Peggie's ‘racist' remarks, says Anas Sarwar
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) NHS bosses are still in the firing line over their trans policy even if a nurse at the centre of a tribunal row did make 'racist' remarks, Anas Sarwar said. The Scottish Labour leader said 'horrific' remarks attributed to nurse Sandie Peggie about ethnic minorities does not detract from public bodies' duty to keep biological males out of female changing rooms. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Nurse Sandie Peggie was accused of making highly racist remarks Credit: Getty 4 She was suspended by NHS Fife for challenging trans Dr Beth Upton (pictured) about using the women's changing room Credit: Alamy 4 Anas Sarwar said Ms Peggie's remarks should not let NHS Fife off the hook Credit: Les Gallagher Ms Peggie has denied claims from two colleagues that she joked about posting bacon through the letterbox of a local mosque, insisting the remark came from a paramedic on the ward. Ms Peggie admitted she had a fear of the mosque being built in Kirkcaldy due to her having concerns about Sharia Law being introduced in the UK. She said did not dislike all Muslims and that her beliefs did not mean she would ever treat patients differently. The nurse, who worked for 30 years with NHS Fife, also said a number of racist jokes in a WhatsApp chat regarding flooding in Pakistan that killed nearly 2,000 people in 2022 was humour, intended to try and shock people. The nurse said she had used derogatory terms to describe people from Pakistan and China because these were common terms when she was growing up. She said people of those ethnicities that she knew were not offended when the terms had been used. MSP Mr Sarwar said: 'Those comments, if they are as attributed, are completely and utterly unacceptable. 'But we have also got to be really careful that we don't distract from the big issues that matter. 'Just because we might find these comments attributed horrific doesn't mean health boards and the Scottish Government should not comply with the Equality Act and protect single sex spaces based on biological sex. 'We can do that while also building a society that is free of prejudice of any kind, including racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, antisemitism and Islamophobia.' NATS health secretary Neil Gray today failed to back nurse Sandie Peggie amid a row over single-sex space
