The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Weekend patient concerns
TEA MS OF medical professionals are failing to conduct rounds of intensive care and high dependency wards at weekends in Courier country hospitals, it has been claimed.
Multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs) including medics, nurses and pharmacists are carrying out routine visits to patients in Dundee’s Ninewells Hospital and Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy, from Monday to Friday only, said an audit.
A t Perth Royal Infirmary rounds are only carried out once a week, it was said.
Details of the situation emerged shortly after data was published showing that English health trusts had higher patient death rates at weekends.
Patients’ spokesman Dr Jean Turner suggested better cover at weekends could save lives.
The executive director of Scotland Patients A ssociation highlighted cases where people had died after attendingA &E at a weekend but being sent home.
She said: “You begin to wonder whether they would have survived had they been kept in and more attention paid.”
The latest annual report from the Scottish Intensive Care Society A udit Group provided a snapshot of cover in 2011.
It highlighted 12 hospitals where MDT rounds of ICUs and HDUs were conducted five days a week instead of seven, and three where rounds were once a week.
A ll three of the Courier country hospitals, however, had daily rounds conducted by intensive care consultants.
NHS Tayside denied that teams of professionals only visited patients five days a week.
A spokesperson said: “There is no difference in the provision of care to patients at the weekend in our ICUs at Ninewells Hospital and at Perth Royal Infirmary, as consultant ward rounds are carried out seven days a week.
“Multi-professional ward rounds with nursing and medical staff are also carried out seven days per week.
“Staff from supporting clinical services such as pharmacy and physiotherapy join their clinical colleagues on rounds during the week and are available for specialist input at weekends.”
NHS Fife confirmed its MDTs did not routinely take part in ward rounds but remained on call and available for consultation at weekends.