Anna Firth MP called for an urgent meeting with senior NHS officials on the 05th of January to discuss the ongoing ambulance pressures outside Southend Hospital and the challenges facing the service over winter.
Speaking with Andrew Pike (Chief Operating Officer of Southend Hospital), Tom Abell (Chief Executive of the East of England Ambulance Service) and Michael Daley (Chair of the South Essex Care and Health Association), Anna raised her deep concerns over the ongoing situation and reinforced her commitment to working with the NHS to find a solution.
Since her election, the Southend West MP has been relentlessly chasing further funding for Southend Hospital and has helped secure over £2 million of investment to improve capacity and bed space. On top of this, the ambulance fleet which serves Southend has been improved by the addition of 11 new ambulances and the hiring of an additional 111 staff.
However, she fully accepted that the current situation is simply unacceptable for both NHS workers and patients alike. At the emergency meeting, Anna expressed her concerns over the number and slow discharge of some medically stable patients who are left occupying beds in need.
The discussions were extremely productive and highlighted some possible improvements to streamline patient flow and avoid blocking beds, including what more could be done to capitalize on care home spaces in Southend that are available to accept patients who are ready for discharge.
Another key concern was the size of the emergency department at the hospital, which is currently too small to accommodate the number of patients it was designed for when originally constructed.
The meeting heard proposals to improve the use of space onsite to expand bed availability and the flow of patients through the hospital. Anna was encouraged to hear that there was a concrete plan to expand bed capacity to support the current high winter demand.
NHS leaders also highlighted the need to increase the capacity of training facilities for overseas applicants to health posts, as well as easing regulation of medical qualifications for those already trained to a high standard in a different country.
In light of the ongoing issues at Southend Hospital, Anna Firth MP has called for regular ‘Southend Health Summits’ with NHS leaders to ensure that all parts of the local healthcare system are working together as effectively as possible to improve local healthcare for Southend residents.
The chief executives of organisations such as EEAST, EPUT, the Integrated Care Board and Southend Hospital will be invited to meet with Anna and discuss the progress they are making on improving the service.
Anna said,
“Last week I called an emergency healthcare summit at the hospital, and I want to give a massive shout out to all the nurses and doctors who are working around the clock to turn things around. This includes the new Chief Operating Officer, Andrew Pike, who is making a real difference to patient experience.”
“We do have a plan and I am confident that if everyone pulls together, including the hospital, ambulances, council, GP’s, and care homes, then things will start to get better by the end of the month. I will provide further updates as soon as possible.”
