Serious patient safety concerns at hospital after inspectors visit

SERIOUS patient safety concerns have been raised by inspectors after an unannounced visit to a hospital.

- ABBIE WIGHTWICK

Issues identified at the emergency department at Ysbyty Gwynedd included medication storage temperatures exceeding safe thresholds, expired or improperly stored items on the resuscitation trolley, and inadequate staffing and oversight in the paediatric area.

Delays in discharges from other areas of the hospital in Bangor meant some patients waiting more than 36 hours at the accident and emergency unit and some are treated on trolleys, inspectors found.

The team from Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) visited the hospital, run by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, over three days in April and published its report into findings today. Inspectors assessing the quality and safety of care provided to patients attending the department also found it “concerning” that patients with weakened immune systems were sometimes cared for in open areas, increasing their risk of infection.

“We saw a patient who was receiving chemotherapy being cared for in an open area of the ED when they should have been accommodated in a cubicle to reduce the risk of infection,’ the inspection report says.

“The health board must ensure that patients presenting at ED who are receiving chemotherapy treatment, or who are immunocompromised are appropriately accommodated, to reduce the risk of harm.”

There was also concern about patients treated on trolleys. This is an issue in pressured hospitals across Wales that has been raised before by medics and others.

And not all patients at Ysbyty Gwynedd’s A&E department were triaged within the recommended 15-minute window. This led to delays in specialty reviews and ambulance patient transfers into the department, which impacted patient flow and safety, inspectors warned.