 is "significantly crowded on a sustained basis" and staff are experiencing burnout, according to a report. The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) carried out an unannounced inspection last winter. It found the department was operating beyond its core purpose and capacity. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said the report must lead to real improvement. The inspection, carried out in response to the increasing level of concerns the RQIA received about the impact of significant pressure in the ED, focused on a number of areas. These included patient flow, staffing, environmental factors, ED leadership, management and governance. RQIA inspectors said they witnessed first hand the operation of the ED, including at night and at weekends, and spoke with patients and staff. Among their concerns that they believe had an impact on providing safe and effective patient care were: Staffing, crowding, infection prevention control/environmental issues, patient care, medicines management and governance. The RQIA said it is concerned it will be difficult for the quality standards to be achieved and sustained if the service continues to operate outside of its capacity and core purpose, due to wider system pressures. Briege Donaghy, RQIA's chief executive, said "this is a very serious position to find ourselves in". "This is now saying very briskly, very openly, that the minimum that we should expect in quality is not possible to be delivered in the environment that the Royal ED staff are trying to work in. "So, this adds further, reinforces the need for change," she said. Image caption, Briege Donaghy from the RQIA said little change is expected without service reform The inspection report sets out a Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) that the Belfast Trust has agreed to implement. This will help alleviate s){kind=link}
The Royal Victoria Hospital’s emergency department (ED) is “significantly crowded on a sustained basis” and staff are experiencing burnout, according to a report.
The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) carried out an unannounced inspection last winter.
It found the department was operating beyond its core purpose and capacity.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said the report must lead to real improvement.
The inspection, carried out in response to the increasing level of concerns the RQIA received about the impact of significant pressure in the ED, focused on a number of areas.