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Inquiry into 12-hour trolley waits at Stafford's County Hospital

An investigation has been launched into a number of 12-hour trolley waits at County Hospital in Stafford during the week after Christmas.

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Health bosses have declared the failings were 'inevitable' due a lack of beds at the hospital on Weston Road.

They said because County does not deal with heart attack, strokes, trauma or emergency surgery the majority of patients were elderly with multiple conditions and needs, who are difficult to find places for in Stafford due to a lack of care homes spaces in the area.

A 12-hour trolley breach happens when a patient has to wait more than half a day for a hospital bed after the decision to admit them from A&E.

They have been rare occurrences at County in the last year unlike at sister hospital Royal Stoke where there were more than 300 in nine months last year.

The problems at Stafford emerged after Andrew Donald, chief accountable officer at three of Staffordshire's Clinical Commissioning Groups, briefed health chiefs on winter pressures this week.

He said: "The winter period to date has been difficult.

"The system as a whole has been engaged in a heightened level of escalation due to its poor four-hour performance and in particular the number of 12-hour breaches that have occurred across providers up to Christmas and since then.

"Of particular importance for governing members to note is that the County Hospital had a number of 12-hour breaches in the week after Christmas.

"These were reported to NHS England and are subject to a Route Cause Analysis.

"However what is clear is that with only circa 120-130 beds at the County and not being able to reduce the number of patients in beds prior to Christmas there was a level of inevitability about the pressures in the days following Christmas."

Mr Donald added: "As governing body members are aware the County Hospital does not deal with emergency conditions such as heart attack, strokes, trauma or emergency surgery and therefore the majority of patients are elderly with multiple conditions and needs.

"Finding appropriate settings for these patients after an emergency admission has proved difficult due to the reducing nursing and residential home capacity across the area."

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