"Worst experience "

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience on NHS Website about your mother’s recent visit to the Emergency Department at Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital.

I am extremely sorry to hear of your experience and have fed your comments back to the senior staff and the Head of Nursing- Emergency and Acute Pathway. Confirmation has been provided that the Trust has introduced a web-based tool, designed by NHS Digital, to support clinical decision making at both of our Urgent Treatment Centres (UTC) at Blackburn and Burnley to ensure patients get the right treatment at the right time to meet their clinical needs. Upon arrival, patients are asked to input their details into the tool via a smart device. The tool will guide the patient through a series of questions to assess and prioritise their condition. Once this information is gathered, we will be able to determine whether the patient needs to be seen immediately or if they can be asked to return at a later, appointed time. This initiative is currently being rolled out nationally and it is expected to reduce crowding in the waiting areas making it much safer for patients and colleagues. Any patient with chest pain will be advised to immediately make themselves known to a receptionist for urgent attention.

In order to support patients using the tool and outcomes, we have implemented the role of a ‘Care Navigator’ who will support patients on arrival and direct them to the iPads as well as answering any questions they may have. A potential outcome from using the Streaming Tool can be an appointment and the Care Navigator will support the booking of appointments once the tool is completed, using a computer on wheels. The role will support patients and enhance their experience whilst on the Urgent Treatment pathway.

We do experience unexpected unavailability of our teams, and when this occurs patients who have appointments have to be re-allocated by other clinicians, which sadly does result in delays from initial appointment. We regret that the reason for delays was not made clear. We also have a clinical working group focusing on pain control and management for patients in the Emergency pathway as there are continuous improvements we can make.

If you would like to provide further information about your experience you can contact the Patient Experience team by email at patientexperience@elht.nhs.uk

Or if you prefer you can discuss further any concerns you may have about our services with our East Lancashire Hospitals Trust Customer Relations team on 01254 733700 or complaints@elht.nhs.uk who can advise you of your options in raising these concerns further.

Many thanks again for taking the time to provide your feedback.

Sarah Ridehalgh

Patient Experience Facilitator