Weston General Hospital

Infobox Hospital
Name = Weston General Hospital
Org/Group = Weston Area Health NHS Trust



Location = Weston-super-Mare
Region = Somerset
State = England
Country = UK
HealthCare = NHS
Type = District General
Emergency = Yes
Beds = 320
Founded = 1986
Closed =
Website = http://www.waht.nhs.uk/
Wiki-Links = |

Weston General Hospital is an NHS district general hospital in the town of Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, England operated by Weston Area Health NHS Trust (WAHT). It has an Accident & Emergency department, an intensive care unit, an Oncology and Haematology day unit, and a day case unit. Weston General has 320 beds and 1,700 staff, and has the largest midwifery-led maternity unit in the country. The hospital also has a 12 bed private unit, "The Waterside Suite", wholly owned by the hospital trust, with profits being re-invested into the main hospital.

Performance

The Healthcare Commission, an independent body which promotes and drives quality healthcare in the United Kingdom, has inspected Weston General Hospital and published its findings. In the 2005/2006 period, on the quality of the healthcare it provided the hospital was rated as weak on a four point scale of weak, fair, good and excellent. This placed the hospital in the bottom performing 9% of trusts in the country. [cite web | url= http://annualhealthcheckratings.healthcarecommission.org.uk/annualhealthcheckratings/searchourfindings.cfm/widCall1/customWidgets.content_view_1/cit_id/352855 | title= Weston Area Health NHS Trust - Quality of services | work= Healthcare Commission | accessdate= 2007-08-28] On the same scale the hospital's use of resources was also rated weak, placing it in the bottom 37% of trusts in the country. [cite web | url= http://annualhealthcheckratings.healthcarecommission.org.uk/annualhealthcheckratings/searchourfindings.cfm/widCall1/customWidgets.content_view_1/cit_id/540434 | title= Weston Area Health NHS Trust - Use of resources | work= Healthcare Commission | accessdate= 2007-08-28] In the 2006/2007 period, the hospital's quality of healthcare score was upgraded to fair, but its use of resources rating remained at weak. [cite web | url= http://2007ratings.healthcarecommission.org.uk/_db/_documents/AHC_directory_of_performance_ratings.pdf | format= PDF | title= The annual health check 2006/2007 Directory of performance ratings for NHS trusts | work= Healthcare Commission | accessdate= 2007-10-18]

The hospital, like others, has had problems with hospital acquired infections such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile (C. diff). In 2003 the trust had the highest rate of MRSA infections in the country. [cite web | url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/12/05/ulist.xml | title= Best and worst hospitals for superbug infections | work= The Daily Telegraph | date= 5 December 2003 | accessdate= 2007-08-28] In August 2007 the hospital was criticised in the local press following the death of a 75 year old cancer patient from C diff. [cite web | url= http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=147472&command=displayContent&sourceNode=243687&home=yes&more_nodeId1=242222&contentPK=18178575 | title= My wife died from hospital superbug | work= This Is Somerset | date= 23 August 2007 | accessdate= 2007-08-28] Responding the hospital stated that it had reduced infection rates by 25% through 2007. Performance figures released by the trust in September 2007 showed that hospital acquired infection rates had fallen further with just one case of MRSA in August and 18 of C.Diff, compared with more than 30 just a few months previous. These improvements are attributed to a new "bare below the elbow" initiatve to ensure that staff clean their hands and wrists, plus regular steam cleaning of patient beds. [cite web | url= http://www.cheddarvalleygazette.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=216909&command=displayContent&sourceNode=216903&contentPK=18633332&moduleName=InternalSearch&formname=sidebarsearch | work= The Cheddar Valley Gazette | date= 11 October 2007 | title= Steam cleaning sees a drop in infection rates | accessdate= 2007-10-12]

On July 7 2003, BBC Television programme "Inside Out" broadcast allegations from a whistleblower that senior management within the hospital were putting pressure on employees to manipulate waiting list statistics to make them look more favourable. [cite web | url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/west/series3/the_whistleblower.shtml | title= The Whistleblower | date= 7 July 2003 | work= BBC Inside Out | accessdate= 2007-08-28] An independent enquiry in 2004 concluded that this manipulation did take place. [cite web | url= http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/328/7450/1220-a | title= Staff may be disciplined over "fiddling" waiting lists | date= 20 May 2004 | work= British Medical Journal | accessdate= 2007-08-28] [cite web | url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/3708139.stm | title= Hospital 'doctored' waiting times | date= 12 May 2004 | work= BBC News | accessdate= 2007-08-28] In 2006, one of the managers named by "Inside Out" lost a libel case against the BBC, which had alleged that she was involved in the falsification of waiting lists. [cite web | url= http://society.guardian.co.uk/health/news/0,,1727357,00.html | title= BBC wins NHS libel case | date= 9 March 2006 | work= The Guardian | accessdate= 2007-08-28] [cite web | url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/4790204.stm | title= BBC wins waiting list libel case | date= 9 March 2006 | work= BBC News | accessdate= 2007-08-28] Waiting lists are still a problem – in 2006 the hospital was one of only eight in the country that failed to reduce waiting times for treatment. [cite web | url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2098204,00.html | title= One in eight patients waiting over a year for treatment, admits minister | date= 8 June 2007 | work= The Guardian | accessdate= 2007-08-28]

History

Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother) officially opened the Queen Alexandra Memorial Hospital on The Boulevard in 1928. Over the years, equipment was added and updated. Portable and temporary buildings were added to the hospital in an attempt to keep pace with the growing needs of the community.

With the growth in the town of Weston, and in particular around the area of Worle, it became evident that the town needed a new hospital. Much debate took place resulting in a new hospital being built and opened on 16 September 1986, on the edge of Uphill village. [cite web | url= http://www.waht.nhs.uk/About_the_Trust/history_facts.htm | title= History & Figures | accessdate= 2007-08-28 | work= Weston Area Health NHS Trust]

In January 2003 the hospital opened a new oncology and haematology day unit, the "Jackson Barstow Wing" was opened to treat patients from the surrounding area. [cite web | url= http://www.bnn-online.co.uk/news_datesearch.asp?SearchDate=14/Apr/2003&Year=2003 | title= State-of-the-art care on the NHS | date= 14 April 2003 | accessdate= 2007-08-28 | work= British Nursing News Online / Bristol Evening Post] The new unit meant that patients could receive treatments, including chemotherapy and blood transfusions without having to travel to Bristol.

Weston General Hospital opened a new paediatric unit, the "Seashore Centre", in February 2007. The unit, which features paediatric outpatients and a ten bed day ward, was needed because the only major children's facilities in the region are located at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children and at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton. [cite web | url= http://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/B6B12DCF-D8B8-4968-870D-377D76A6557C/0/noticeboard_20070306_Edition22.pdf | format= PDF | title= Seashore Centre for children and young people opens at Weston Area Health NHS Trust | work= North Somerset Children and Young People's Services Noticeboard | date= 6 March 2007 | accessdate= 2007-08-28]

Voluntary organisations

The hospital is served by a number of voluntary organisations including an active League of Friends whose volunteers staff the hospital shop and raise money for projects within the hospital; Freewheelers EVS, who use motorcycles to provide emergency out-of-hours transport of blood, diagnostic specimens and drugs; [cite web | url= http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=144936&command=displayContent&sourceNode=144919&contentPK=18180178&moduleName=InternalSearch&formname=sidebarsearch | work= Bristol Evening Post | title= Meeting the need for speed | date= 23 August 2007 | accessdate= 2007-08-29] and "Sunshine Radio", a hospital radio station manned by volunteers. The hospital also works closely with nearby "Weston Hospicecare" which provides palliative care for patients with life threatening conditions such as cancer. The new children's centre was partly funded by an appeal, "Weston Super Kids", backed by many in the town including the Mayor who made it her chosen charity for her year in office. [cite web | url= http://www.weston-super-maretowncouncil.gov.uk/infopage.asp?infoid=481 | work= Weston-super-Mare town council | title= Town Mayor's charity 2006-2007 | accessdate= 2007-08-29]

References

External links

* [http://www.waht.nhs.uk/ Trust website]
* [http://www.sunshinehospitalradio.co.uk/ Sunshine Hospital Radio] - manned by volunteers
* [http://www.westonhospicecare.org.uk Weston Hospicecare] - hospice located close to the hospital in Uphill