Two hospitals to get ‘urgent support’ for emergency care

Two hospitals are to get targeted clinically led support in an attempt to reduce long waits for patients at A&E.

NHS England (NHSE) will send senior staff into the Royal Sussex County Hospital, in Brighton, East Sussex, and St Richard’s Hospital, in Chichester, West Sussex.

Staff will visit the hospitals two or three days a week from September to December, the BBC understands.

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (UHSussex) told the BBC it hoped the extra support would make a “real difference”.

In all, 19 hospitals have been targeted across the country for “urgent support” before winter.

The Royal Sussex County and St Richard’s will have to work on at least two out of six priorities including avoiding admissions, reducing activity in A&E or improving the flow of patients through the hospital.

Last month, senior managers were told that their hospitals were “working at around 95% occupancy” and that they were working “to address the large number of patients who are not able to leave our hospital when medically ready to do so”.

“Our emergency staff face huge pressures all year round, and we know that winter brings particularly challenging conditions,” said Siobhan Murray, managing director for unplanned care for UHSussex.

“Frontline teams are already working hard to innovate and improve care, and we hope this additional support will make a real difference in the coming months.”

She added the trust was collaborating with partners across Sussex’s health and care system to deliver “essential, longer-term” improvements for patients.