Staff raise patient care concerns at community hospital

Richard Youle, local democracy reporter

Staff at a community hospital are looking after too many patients and people who need care in a more acute setting, it has been claimed.

A letter outlining staff concerns also alleged it was impossible to maintain sufficient space between beds in the in-patient ward – West Ward – to maintain infection control.

The letter, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, claimed patients were largely those “with high acuity and no rehabilitation potential”.

It claimed nurse and healthcare assistant staffing levels were not consistently met, that there was a heavy reliance on bank and agency staff, and that management was “defensive” when concerns were voiced.

‘Flex’

Swansea Bay University Health Board, which runs the hospital, said bed numbers at the hospital had to “flex” during periods of high demand. It also said it was listening to staff concerns.

The staff letter claimed there were up to 48 beds occupied at West Ward and that staff were regularly providing care that should be delivered in an acute hospital. It alleged a high incidence of patient falls, and temporary shortages of key supplies.

According to the letter the hospital main entrance was not manned between the afternoon and night, when it was locked, leading to visitors frequently arriving outside of designated visiting hours. Repeated calls for improved security measures such as an intercom, it claimed, had not been addressed.

The letter said there was an ongoing appeal for Gorseinon Hospital to be reclassified as a sub-acute facility or an elderly medicine unit to ensure appropriate staffing levels.

Health hub

The health board said the hospital, on Brynawel Road, was a health hub with community clinics as well as hosting the in-patient ward where older people received reablement and step-down recovery care following admission to a main hospital.

It said: “Bed numbers in Gorseinon like many of the other wards in the health board have to flex during periods of high demand. This is in order to meet the additional numbers of patients who require urgent care, particularly over the winter but also at other peak times of the year. As the requirement for the extra beds is variable there is an associated need to ensure a flexible staffing model across the health Board – this includes Gorseinon.”

The health board said staff rotas were planned well in advance and that every effort was made to bolster numbers when employees were off sick or for other unplanned reasons.

It said the front desk at the main entrance operated Monday to Friday from 9am to 3pm and that the in-patient ward had a receptionist from 7.30am to 3.30pm on those days.

The health board added: “We are listening to staff concerns and are proactively seeking their views in a number of ways, including an anonymised staff survey. We are committed to treating all staff fairly and urge colleagues to work with us as discussions continue.”

Welsh Government health inspectors carried out a remote quality check of West Ward in September 2020, during the height of the Covid pandemic. It said the ward had 36 beds and that incoming patients had a higher level need than previously. The inspectors assessed various subject areas and only recommended one for improvement, namely that plans to train senior staff as clinical supervisors should be implemented as a priority.