Summary of report content
On 13th January 2020, Healthwatch Halton, Knowsley and St Helens undertook an A&E Watch visit to the Accident and Emergency (A&E) department in Whiston Hospital. The aim was to gain a snapshot of patient experiences and understand why they attended and how they thought services could be improved. They gathered peoples’ experiences by undertaking a survey, to which 58 people responded.
The survey found that the majority of people had tried to access another service before attending the A&E. Most of them had been or attempted to go to their GP practice first. The most common reason why people were attending A&E without going anywhere else first was because they felt it was too urgent or more convenient. Most respondents but driven to the A&E by a friend or a family member but some were also brought by the ambulance services. People who had been treated at the A&E were mostly satisfied with the care, however, many of them felt that they weren't kept informed of timings or delays. People gave positive comments about the helpful nature and attitude of staff. People felt that services could be improved further by improving the waiting times and communication about delays and treatments.
The report does not provide any recommendations to the service providers.
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Network Impact
Relationships that exist locally, regionally, nationally have benefited from the work undertaken in the report
Implied Impact
Where it is implied that change may occur in the future as a result of Healthwatch work. This can be implied in a provider response, press release or other source. Implied impact can become tangible impact once change has occurred.
Tangible Impact
There is evidence of change that can be directly attributed to Healthwatch work undertaken in the report.