Toothache and routine blood tests among inappropriate A&E attendances as Hartlepool’s hospital trust sees rise in demand

The latest figures for A&E attendances at the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust show that in January there were 1,800 higher than the same month last year.

But the message still isn’t getting through to some people to think about before heading for A&E.

Among some of the poor practice were people trying to collect repeat prescriptions, a request for a tetanus jab and people still coming in to get dressings changed – rather than going to practice nurse at a GP surgery.

There have also been cases of people heading to Stockton and Hartlepool’s emergency department with toothache.

Other unsuitable attendances listed by the trust include requests for routine blood tests and needle stick injuries where firms which didn’t have an occupational health department.

Nick Roper, the trust’s clinical director, urged people to weigh up their options before heading to A&E.

He added: “You should speak with your local pharmacist or GP if you feel unwell, or ring 111 if you are unsure.

“We have a front of house triaging process, ensuring that people are able to get the right care, in the right place, at the right time.”

Dr Roper said the trust had worked hard to find news ways of easing pressures on services.

It did see a reduced demand in services in December – with 700 fewer A&E attendances than the previous year.

Dr Roper said: “By closely integrating the main hospital and minor injuries units at North Tees and Hartlepool sites we have already improved patient flow and continue to be among the top performers nationally against the four-hour waiting standard for A&E.

“We have taken steps to reflect on last year’s performance to ensure we have a robust plan in place to continue to deliver the best standard of care for our patients.”

But he also said the trust needed help from patients to keep standards up.

Meanwhile, the trust has been successful in its bid for funding via “Helpforce”, an NHS volunteer scheme.

The idea is volunteers will help free up time for staff, they’ll support vulnerable patients at mealtimes and help the discharge process for older folk to reduce re-admissions and steer them towards help.

Barbara Bright, chief of staff at the trust, told Wednesday’s health and well-being board the volunteers would help in the next 18 months with discharge, volunteer drivers and getting people home sooner.

She added: “It’s an exciting piece of work which we hope will involve all our partner organisations.”

Alex Metcalfe, Local Democracy Reporting Service