Shropshire's hospitals at breaking point warns ex-chief
The former head of Telford's Princess Royal Hospital has warned that the level of occupancy at the county's two main hospitals is "downright dangerous" and they are at "breaking point".
David Sandbach, who ran the PRH until 2000, spoke out after it was revealed that the two hospitals are operating at 97.9 per cent occupancy. He said: "This is one of the highest bed occupancy rates in the country and this level of occupancy is downright dangerous.
"Under these circumstances it is not reasonable to expect the staff to be able to give good quality care 100 per cent of the time as normal standard service.
"The staff are to be commended on their tireless efforts at keeping infection rates down to a minimum, but how long can this be maintained under such pressurised circumstances is anyone's guess.
"We are trying to put a quart into a pint pot.
"The SaTH board are struggling to keep the hospital functioning as normal but are losing this battle.
"As we all know a major incident was declared in April because of lack of beds.
"This is the first time for it to happen in my memory having lived and worked in Shropshire for over 34 years."
Mr Sandbach said the solution was to create more beds in the community, but he said current plans by Shropshire's Clinical Commissioning Groups to open 15 beds in Whitchurch did not go far enough.
"I believe we need around 120 nursing beds in the county," he said. "I believe there are plans to open a handful of extra community based nursing beds in progress and some chatter about opening 15 empty beds in Whitchurch.
"This is nowhere near enough.
"The CCGs in Shropshire need to invest around £9.4 million into extra medically supervised beds in the community.
"They should be sitting down as a matter of urgency with the not-for-profit and for-profit nursing home owners to bring this number of beds on stream by November or December 2013.
"The alternative to making this investment is more of the same – Shropshire citizens get a dangerous acute hospital service which is already unsafe and at breaking point."
