Jersey way ahead of the UK in unnecessary trips to the hospital

Thursday 17 July 2014

Around 40% of patients treated in A & E could have gone to their GP instead - a figure which is verging on three times the average number for a UK hospital.

The figures are contained in an internal hospital audit, which shows that last year Emergency staff treated more than 37,000 people, many of whom could have been treated by their doctor. The cost of GP visits is thought to be one of the main reasons why people opt for a free visit to the hospital instead.

The Hospital’s Deputy Director of Operations Gary Kynman said: “We would urge all Islanders to only attend A&E, if they are requiring emergency care. This enables our staff to treat those cases which really are emergencies, and helps avoid unnecessary waiting times for everyone. We would remind people that there is an out-of-hours GP based in the General Hospital for treatment outside normal GP surgery hours.”

A recent focus group study by the Jersey Consumer Council suggested many Islanders are frustrated that the hospital allows anyone to be treated, regardless of their residential status.

Mr Kynman said: “A&E is free for all. We do not refuse patients who present requiring emergency treatment, though we have strict guidance on cases where a minority of people aren’t eligible for free non-emergency hospital treatment.

“We know that some people in Jersey genuinely struggle to afford a GP, and so A&E for them, becomes an option. We became aware of this during our own work on our Green and White Paper consultations. This work is currently ongoing."

The Consumer Council's findings also criticised the lack of privacy for people arriving at A&E, with patients saying it made them feel uncomfortable. That's something the Health department hopes to address when the Island's new hospital is built.

Mr Kynman said: "We welcome this valuable feedback. Particularly, as some early planning has already commenced into how our future A&E department will look within the new hospital. Some members of our A&E team have recently been to the UK to review options for the A&E department to feed into the planning of the future hospital. It is important to emphasise that we do require basic details on patients presenting to the A&E. This supports our triage process which identifies those patients who need a more rapid response conducive to the severity of their illness. Once a patient is triaged, they are taken into a private room where they can talk privately to an emergency department nurse.”

The findings of a national independent survey on A&E departments, including Jersey’s, which was carried out by the Picker Institute will be out in September.