St John's Hospital staff 'pushed to the limit' as patient numbers soar

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Health bosses has warned that staff at St John’s Hospital are being “pushed to the limit” due to soaring patient numbers.Calum Campbell, chief executive of NHS Lothian, said the healthcare system in West Lothian was under extreme duress as a result of an increase in the numbers of emergency patients, large numbers of delayed discharge patients and an increase in respiratory illnesses.He said teams at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, St John’s Hospital, the Western General Hospital and the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People were all being pushed to the limit.To help free up vital beds, he said that some relatives may be asked if they can provide care to their loved ones as an interim measure while those packages of care to help in their own homes are put in place by their local Health and Social Care Partnership.He said: “These challenges are unprecedented, but they are also sustained.

We need people in Lothian to help their own communities and the NHS.“We have large numbers of people waiting to be admitted into a hospital bed, so I would urge everyone who is asked to provide care to their loved one to give the request some serious consideration.”Dr Tracey Gillies, Medical Director, NHS Lothian, added: “Our teams will have carried out a robust clinical assessment before they discuss the temporary possibilities with patients and their families.“We know that most patients want to return home as soon as they possibly can, especially at this time of year.

This would also help our teams and the patients waiting to be admitted.“Also, if you have a loved one in hospital who has been discharged and requires to be collected, please do so as early in the day as possible.”The primary care sector in Lothian also