QEH executes plan to handle A&E patient surge

On the day before celebrating its diamond jubilee, the island’s main public hospital outlined a targeted action plan to manage an unprecedented rise in patient numbers at its Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department.

Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) CEO Neil Clark disclosed measures to expedite patient flow and free up capacity, emphasising that emergency cases will take priority while non-emergencies should seek alternative care.

Clark told journalists at the hospital’s open day on Wednesday that the A&E Department has been busier than usual over the past week, with patient attendance spiking from an average of 60 patients a day to 80, putting strain on the on-duty staff.

He emphasised instructions to the public that the A&E will prioritise emergency patients, advising non-emergency cases to consider “private clinics, the polyclinics or maybe even the pharmacy and self-help”.

“A number of people in the A&E department are not emergencies and unfortunately for them, they’ll end up waiting for a long period of time. What we’ve done whenever we have this is we escalate internally,” Clark said.

The QEH CEO outlined steps taken to address this surge in patient numbers: “We’ve had a number of internal escalation meetings to [discuss] how can we create space and how can we create capacity. So that’s working with the wards because a lot of the bottlenecks in the A&E are because of a lack of beds available for the patients to move through. So we work very closely with the medical leads and the wards to manage as many safe discharges from the wards as possible. So that’s what we’ve been doing over the last few days.”

He added: “Every morning we’ll meet, check the numbers, [and] every afternoon we catch up on those numbers and we push to ensure that we can move those patients through. Going forward, having the CT scanner in the A&E department, and having the X-ray in the A&E department will be significant help. Having the Ghanaian nurses support the nurses in our A&E department will be a significant help. Some of the new staff, including pathway development coordinators [and] service improvement managers, [will help] support patient flow and pathways through the A&E.”

Clark also stressed the importance of implementing a paperless healthcare system, a shift he believes will support smoother operations across the hospital.

“There’s too much paper in here, and the health information system will digitise all the information for us. And that means patients, [and] doctors can see information in real-time in multiple locations,” the hospital CEO said. “This will be a significant change in allowing us to manage patients in a faster, more efficient way. So, [we’re] really excited about that.”

He highlighted the upcoming release of $130 million that will allow the hospital to acquire new equipment.

“The first $65 million will be released this year, I’m expecting. And we’re ready to start purchasing new equipment for the hospital with that money. We’ve already received donations for a CT scanner in the A&E department. We’re hoping that will come online in December, and that will allow faster treatment in the A&E along with an X-ray machine in the A&E department. We saw the tender go out for the development of the Enmore site across the road that will give us a new clinical laboratory, a new oncology centre and more clinical space and admin space,” he said.

These funds will go towards acquiring over 400 pieces of essential equipment that the hospital has been unable to obtain through donations.

Public Relations Consultant with the hospital, Shane Sealy, explained that the open day served as an outreach activity aimed at informing the public and bridging the gap between the hospital staff and the public.

“We’re trying to… get more information to the public and to the patients we serve, and we will continue this drive into the New Year through initiatives like these through the radio show [QEH’s Pulse Radio Show] as well. It’s the only way that we can improve what we are doing here at the QEH. We know the perception that has been of the QEH in the past, and we are trying to change that perception over the next three years under the 2025 to 2028 strategy, which is being rolled out,” he said.

The open day event, the first of its kind, was part of the hospital’s 60th anniversary celebrations.

Members of the public engaged with hospital staff, received information and got equipment demonstrations.

There were also businesses on site selling locally made products, and accessories, as well as health insurance providers.

The QEH was opened by Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, standing in for his wife, Queen Elizabeth II, on November 14, 1964, while on a royal visit to Barbados. Initially, the hospital had a capacity of 464 beds, which was later expanded to 600 beds as demand for healthcare rose in the years since independence. (LG)