A Bristol hospital is "experiencing winter pressures in the summer” partly because of the city's busy programme of summertime events, according to a new report.
Almost one in three A&E patients were waiting more than four hours as the hospital faced high demand for its services in June.
And now, hugely popular events such as Bristol Harbour Festival and St Pauls Carnival, have been partially blamed for the unusually high volume of people seeking urgent treatment, according to a report to University Hospitals Bristol Trust (UHB).
It said the organisation failed to admit or discharge 2,153 out of 11,625 patients within the four-hour target at its three emergency departments, which also include the Children’s Hospital and Bristol Eye Hospital.
That equals 18.5 per cent of people who visited the trust’s A&Es in June, although the figure for the Bristol RoyaI Infirmary (BRI) - which struggled by far the most - was a huge 31.2 per cent, way above the NHS-set limit of only five per cent.
By contrast, the Children’s Hospital dealt with 93.6 per cent of patients within four hours while the eye hospital achieved 97.6 per cent.
The report, discussed by the board of directors on Tuesday, July 30, said extra staff were being recruited to cut waiting times.
“Performance at the Bristol Royal Infirmary remains below trajectory,” it said.
“One of the key drivers of this is sustained high levels of attendances, some of which is associated with key events during the summer in Bristol, such as St Pauls Carnival and the various music festivals.”
The report said the new roles would include an additional middle-grade doctor overnight in the BRI’s emergency department, more resuscitation nurses and two full-time consultants who are due to start in October, with a third also being recruited.
There will also be a new frailty team comprising a consultant geriatrician, specialist nurses and a pharmacist.
The trust’s overall figure of 81.5 per cent of A&E patients admitted or discharged within four hours is actually an improvement on the previous two months, when it stood around 78 per cent.
UHB deputy chief executive and chief operating officer Mark Smith told the board: “The hospital is still at full tilt experiencing winter pressures in the summer in terms of admissions.
Improvement
“We have seen some impact on elected programmes in surgery in terms of the amount of activity going through.
“However, overall the trust is performing very well across its range of indicators.
“ED (emergency department) is showing some signs of improvement.
“We have still got challenges and they’re particularly around volume, recruitment and physical space.
“But we’re in the midst of successful recruitment to our frailty service.”
Dr Smith added: “RTT (referral to treatment) is continuing to perform well.
“In terms of cancer, we’re still doing remarkably well given the pressures. In terms of cancer standards, we’re one of the best nationally.”
The report said: “The percentage of RTT patients waiting under 18 weeks was 87.5 per cent at end of June.
“This did not achieve the national 92 per cent standard or the improvement trajectory target of 87.9 per cent.
“This was the first time in 14 months that the recovery trajectory was missed, albeit narrowly.”
The improvement trajectory is the target agreed between the trust and NHS England showing how it will improve performance in a number of key areas, including emergency departments.
The report added that 94 per cent of urgent GP-referred suspected cancer patients in May were seen within two weeks, compared with a 93 per cent national target.
Similarly, 86 per cent of cancer sufferers began treatment within 62 days of a GP referral, which is above the 85 per cent the NHS says acute trusts should achieve.
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