'Unprecedented' emergency pressures at New Cross, says chief
Staff at New Cross Hospital have endured 'unprecedented' pressures in its busy A&E unit, the trust's chief executive had said.
David Loughton made the comment as he set out the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust's top priority for 2014/15 as improving patient safety.
It came in a report due to be presented at the trust's annual general meeting today.
The report, which summarises the trust's performance in 2013/14, said it finished the year with a surplus of £8.5m.
See also: Wolverhampton New Cross A&E under siege as numbers soar.
Mr Loughton, in a joint statement with acting board chairman Jeremy Vanes, said: "The last few months of the year (2013/14) were particularly difficult as the trust faced unprecedented pressure on its emergency portals and consistently had more than 300 attendances per day to its Emergency Department.
"All staff in the trust have worked hard to ensure that services for our patients continue to be safe in these difficult circumstances.
See also: Hundreds more patients go to A&E as bosses reveal 'staggering' figures.
"As a trust we are in a very strong position moving forward and need to keep our focus on doing the right thing for patients as we move into the next phase of change to the way healthcare is commissioned and delivered.
"Despite the pressures on our Emergency Department and the hospital as a whole we met all our contractual targets for the year."
See also: Wolverhampton's New Cross Hospital braced for more patients.
