Oswestry Orthopaedic Hospital sees rise in people trying to access emergency treatment

People in the Oswestry area are being urged to access the right health services for their needs – with The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital reporting several patients arriving in need of emergency treatment.

The specialist orthopaedic hospital does not have an Emergency Department or a Minor Injuries Unit, but that has not stopped a number of people turning up at the Main Outpatients Department asking to be seen.

The most recent case occurred at the end of July, when a man arrived with an injury to his hand that needed immediate care. Having been dropped off by a car that then left the site, the man had no family or friends close by to help, meaning that an ambulance transfer had to be arranged to get him to a suitable location.

Liz Reece, Nurse Manager of the Main Outpatients Department at RJAH, said: “We provide very specialist services at this hospital and every patient who comes through our doors should already have an appointment to be seen.

“We have an outstanding team in their field, but we do not have the facilities or the resources here to support and treat emergency patients.

“Unfortunately, this latest incident was not as isolated as we would like,” she added. “We do see a few cases like this each month.

“It is important that patients are seen in the right place at the right time, so it is unfortunate that some patients are seeing delays in their care as a result of attending the wrong site.

“Local people are fortunate to have an excellent Minor Injuries Unit in the Oswestry Health Centre. If your needs are even more pressing, then you should seek the help of the nearest Emergency Department – which for most people within our locality will either be at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital or the Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

“If you are not sure of what the best option is in your particular situation, you can always call the NHS 111 Helpline for advice. For less serious ailments you can also seek the advice of a pharmacist.”

Last week’s incident was just the latest in a growing number of this nature to have occurred at RJAH in recent weeks.

Others include a man complaining of pain in his ribs after a crash on his mountain bike, a teenage girl who suffered an injury playing netball and a man who arrived at the Main Outpatients Department with a woman who said he had taken an overdose of tablets.

Mark Brandreth, Chief Executive at RJAH, said: “All of these people clearly needed medical attention, but this was not the right place for them to be to get the care they need.

“In all of these cases our staff did the best they could to look after these patients until they could be transferred to where they needed to be. That took those staff away from the roles they were supposed to be doing though, and it is a situation we would like to avoid repeating.

“We have a well established reputation for excellence – but that is very much within the field of specialist orthopaedic treatments, for which we are world renowned.

“Please do not come here if you are looking for emergency treatment. You will only be delaying getting the care you need, and potentially doing yourself more harm as a result.”