THE A&E at Warwick Hospital has one of the best records in the country.
Hospitals across the country, including wards at Warwick Hospital, have been battling with the winter vomiting bug norovirus while still recovering from the after-effects of the junior doctor walk-out.
But while George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton has been battling with a 12 hour wait for beds, Warwick has continued to beat the national standard of treating 95 per cent of emergency patients within four hours.
South Warwickshire Foundation Trust – which also runs hospitals in Leamington, Stratford and Shipston – says its preparation for the strikes, with an increased number of senior staff covering the shifts, meant they stayed on top of the number of patients coming through A&E doors.
Improved steps to keep norovirus at bay – such as more sinks and isolated beds being introduced around the hospital – have also contributed to keeping waiting times and stress levels among staff down.
Director of Operations Jane Ives said: “Warwick Hospital is seen as an exemplar nationally for its management of the flow of emergency patients.
“It was one of a handful of hospitals in the country to deliver the A&E standard for the whole year and for the first months of 2016.
“The success is based on a whole system approach making sure that patients can move out of A&E at the right time so that A&E staff can manage the newly arrived patients in a timely way.”
