THE Care Quality Commission has put a cap on the number of people who can be admitted to the ‘Majors’ section of the A&E department at Queens Hospital Romford, in Essex.
The coalition cuts have slashed the numbers of doctors and now the follow up is slashing the number of patients.
The CQC inspectors found that many patients were waiting in ‘majors’ for too long, 5% for more than eleven hours.
This did not meet up with the target that 95% of patients should be moved to a ward within four hours.
The CQC’s key observation was that there were not enough consultants or junior doctors in A&E.
However, rather than instructing the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust to rectify this and employ more doctors, it issued a report yesterday placing a cap on the number of A&E patients admitted to majors.
BMA member Anna Athow said: ‘The putting of a cap on the number of patients who can be admitted to majors is a diabolical measure, when there is nowhere else for these patients to go for urgent care treatment.
‘This decision is unprecedented and another sign that this cash-strapped trust is dangerously short of staff and beds.
‘Queens is Private Finance Initiative built, burdened with long term PFI debts of £835m. PFI is a disaster for the NHS. Now patients are to be turned away to suffer pain and perhaps death.
‘The BMA, and all health unions and the TUC must take strike action to put a stop to this callous treatment of the ill in the cynical guise of Care Quality’.
Meanwhile, the East Anglia Fire Brigades Union has raised concerns about 999 ambulance responses by the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAS).
Keith Handscomb of East Anglia FBU said: ‘Fire crews are telling us something is going seriously wrong with the 999 response of EEAS.
‘Fire crews tell us that they and casualties are waiting longer and longer for the arrival of paramedics and ambulances.
‘When a paramedic does arrive, they are often on their own in a car or motorbike and are unable to take seriously injured casualties to hospital.
‘Fire officers tell us of their desperate frustration at being told to wait in line when chasing up emergency requests for the attendance of an ambulance.
‘Sometimes they are told the ambulance has been redirected to another call, due to there being no other ambulance available.
‘Paramedic colleagues have told us privately about their concerns but they are afraid to speak out.’
The ambulance service is being cut to pieces.
