Heart surgery halted because of staff exhaustion
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《英国医生杂志》
Elective heart surgery at a Welsh hospital was recently been halted for a week to allow staff to recover after excessive workloads.
"The cardiac operating team at Morriston Hospital has been working under considerable pressure, involving staff working overtime and additional hours. To allow staff to recover from these pressures it has been decided to limit activity to emergencies only for the next week," said Andrew Taylor, director of service strategy at Swansea NHS Trust.
The cardiac unit is Wales抯 second largest and includes an 18-bed surgical ward and two operating theatres. The restriction on elective surgery ended on Monday this week.
The move to halt elective surgery followed an increase in the numbers of patients being seen. About two years ago, the Welsh Assembly said that no one in Wales was waiting longer than 12 months for heart surgery. But the quest to reduce waiting times has put pressure on staff. Dr Dai Lloyd, a GP and Welsh assembly member, said that staff have been working hard to reduce waiting lists.
"We have to recognise the phenomenal hard work of our nurses and doctors, particularly when there抯 been a waiting list initiative as regards getting cardiac waiting lists down. It抯 the same staff who have to work longer hours and weekends, and there抯 going to be an element of exhaustion. The recent performance has been excellent, but it抯 down to the commitment of the staff involved," he said.
Last year, the Derek Wanless report into health and social services in Wales warned that services were being stretched (BMJ News Extra, 19 July 2003).
It warned: "The NHS and social care work forces are trying to keep up with ever-increasing demands upon them, but the system within which they operate is letting them down. The prospect, if we do not change, is of acceleration towards a service which is reactive rather than proactive, does not meet the expectations of patients and the wider public, and remains insufficiently accountable."(Abergavenny Roger Dobson)
"The cardiac operating team at Morriston Hospital has been working under considerable pressure, involving staff working overtime and additional hours. To allow staff to recover from these pressures it has been decided to limit activity to emergencies only for the next week," said Andrew Taylor, director of service strategy at Swansea NHS Trust.
The cardiac unit is Wales抯 second largest and includes an 18-bed surgical ward and two operating theatres. The restriction on elective surgery ended on Monday this week.
The move to halt elective surgery followed an increase in the numbers of patients being seen. About two years ago, the Welsh Assembly said that no one in Wales was waiting longer than 12 months for heart surgery. But the quest to reduce waiting times has put pressure on staff. Dr Dai Lloyd, a GP and Welsh assembly member, said that staff have been working hard to reduce waiting lists.
"We have to recognise the phenomenal hard work of our nurses and doctors, particularly when there抯 been a waiting list initiative as regards getting cardiac waiting lists down. It抯 the same staff who have to work longer hours and weekends, and there抯 going to be an element of exhaustion. The recent performance has been excellent, but it抯 down to the commitment of the staff involved," he said.
Last year, the Derek Wanless report into health and social services in Wales warned that services were being stretched (BMJ News Extra, 19 July 2003).
It warned: "The NHS and social care work forces are trying to keep up with ever-increasing demands upon them, but the system within which they operate is letting them down. The prospect, if we do not change, is of acceleration towards a service which is reactive rather than proactive, does not meet the expectations of patients and the wider public, and remains insufficiently accountable."(Abergavenny Roger Dobson)