Oxford hospitals are some of the worst in England for preventable delays. Treatment cancellation or delays last year affected over half a thousand patients. Power cuts and problems with pest control are some of the main reasons for the delays.
Recently released figures recorded 510 incidents across the hospitals administered by Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH). The Trust manages the John Radcliffe and Churchill hospitals and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre.
A delay counts as a wait of at least half an hour to clinical services affect- ing at least five patients.
OUH director of estates and facilities Mark Neal, said: “Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust operates over four million square feet of estate, some of which is outdated and requiring ongoing maintenance.”
“In 2015/16 the Trust took care of 1.3 million patients contacts including 145,000 Emergency Department attendances.”
“We are currently undertaking the first phase of a forward-looking masterplan strategy for our estates to reduce this footprint, maximise the best quality spaces for patients and improve space utilisation into the future.”
Last month BBC broadcaster and household name John Simpson thanked staff at the John Radcliffe Hospital for saving his life following a severe allergic reaction.
This comes amongst news of a new rapid access care unit (RACU) at Henley’s Townlands Hospital which has been set for January. The Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group blamed a national shortage of doctors.
