Trust apologises for treating A&E patients in cafe
William Harvey Hospital in Ashford used its cafe as a temporary extension of its emergency department amid high demand; a small number of patients were cared for there before diversion to other hospitals.
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust apologised after its emergency department at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford used the hospital cafe as a temporary clinical space to treat patients amid high demand. The trust said staff screened off the cafe on Tuesday to create space for care, and a small number of emergency patients were cared for there until they could be diverted to other hospitals in Kent.
Trust chief executive Tracey Fletcher said the approach was unacceptable and offered an apology to patients who were cared for in this way. The trust stressed that the cafe arrangement will not be allowed to happen again and that such measures are only used in exceptional circumstances, with the move prompted by significant demand.
Labour MP for Ashford Sojan Joseph described the use of a cafe and corridors to treat patients as not acceptable, while acknowledging that staff worked incredibly hard under what he called years of funding cuts. He urged senior management across East Kent Hospitals to step up efforts to improve standards of care.
Ken Rodgers, chairman of Concern for Health in East Kent, warned that such patient experiences will persist without serious investment in the region, and said he had written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting inviting him to visit the area’s hospitals and press for further investment.
The Department of Health and Social Care was approached for comment as the trust also noted that East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust was ranked 101st out of 134 trusts in NHS England's latest performance league table published earlier this month. The situation underscores the ongoing pressures facing emergency services in the region.