Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-10-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision of urgent care in Brighton and Hove.

Jane Ellison

The provision of urgent care is the responsibility of NHS England, which is currently reviewing nationally urgent and emergency care and proposes a fundamental shift in the way urgent and emergency care services are provided, delivering more care closer to home where clinically appropriate.

The review is now within its implementation phase. A key aspect of this implementation is the establishment of Urgent and Emergency Care Networks (UECNs).

NHS England has developed a suite of tools and guidance to support implementation of the review, including advice on the role and establishment of UECNs.

In the hon. Member’s constituency, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) undertook a two-day unannounced inspection of urgent and emergency services at the Royal Sussex County Hospital during June 2015. The CQC published the report of this inspection on 23 October 2015 and rated urgent and emergency services inadequate at this hospital.

The CQC expect the Trust to regularly report, in a single and standard approach, the improvements in quality to all stakeholders through the risk summit process.

Following the CQC report publication, the Trust will take the following actions:

– Changes to the Emergency Department floor;

– Improving ward processes;

– Hospital Rapid Discharge Team will review support packages with patients and their family when they first arrive in the Emergency Department; and

– The opening of additional beds at the Princess Royal Hospital.