GREAT Western Hospital failed to reach a target for assessing patients in the emergency department within four hours, in a performance directors say is among the worst in recent history.

At the trust’s monthly board of directors meeting held at the hospital, it was revealed in February 79.8 per cent of patients were seen and admitted or discharged within four hours, falling below a national 95 per cent target.

Interim chief operating officer Adrian Griffiths said the trust had faced increasing pressure on its emergency department along with patients not being discharged in a timely enough fashion.

He said:“February has been the most challenging month of the entire winter period in terms of performance.

“It is particularly bad, probably the worst February we have had in some time and the worst performance we have had in some months.

“Although attendances and admissions reduced compared to the previous month and the same month last year, performance was compromised by a longer time needed to get patients medically stable and patients not being discharged quickly enough.”

In March the trust clawed some ground back and rose to 84 per cent of admissions seen and assessed within four hours.

This comes amid increasing pressure on accident and emergency departments across the country.

An emergency department improvement plan has been created and was discussed at last month’s meeting of the Performance, People and Place Committee.

The trust has transferred ambulatory care to the Clover Building, adjacent to the hospital. The unit has received on average 26 patients per day, who would have otherwise waited in the emergency department.

Chief executive Nerissa Vaughn also said, cost permitting, that it was a priority to streamline the layout of the emergency department to give the patient a better care experience.

She said: “I have walked around the emergency department and there are a significant amount of waiting spaces and many corridors that lead off one another. I would like to see more of an open plan approach.”

Progress has been made in reducing costs although the trust is predicting a more than £8m deficit this year, not taking into account NHS funding top-ups.

Others concerns raised during the meeting included the reliance and spend on agency staff and low employee morale.

Oonagh Fitzgerald, director of HR mentioned the ‘lack of morale’ among employees at the hospital, and referred to the capped one per cent pay increase annually

She said: “Having spoken to employees and met with union representatives they feel the one per cent pay rise is an insult as they have been the ones working very hard during the difficult winter months. The pay rise situation has been that way for seven or eight years. They are a very unhappy workforce because of this.”

Praise was given to the work done to alleviate pressure on the emergency department such as the Home to Assess report, which helps patients to be discharged by providing care for up to 72 hours after they have left the hospital.

For February the service was able to help 40 patients leave the hospital and is estimated to have saved 104 bed days.