Healthwatch Bury publishes new Enter and View report on Fairfield General Hospital A&E
The visits took place on 26 November and 1 December and were carried out to understand people’s real experiences of urgent and emergency care during a very busy time of year.
Enter and View visits allow Healthwatch Bury to speak directly with patients, families, carers and staff, and to observe how services are working. The aim is to highlight what is working well and where improvements can be made.
Why we carried out the visits
The visits were arranged after an invitation from the Northern Care Alliance, which runs Fairfield General Hospital. A&E departments across the country are under significant pressure, especially during the winter months. We wanted to understand how these pressures were affecting people in Bury and gather honest feedback from those using the service.
What we found
Across the two visits, our authorised representatives spoke with 28 patients and 6 staff members and observed activity in both the main A&E department and the Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC).
The Northern Care Alliance has reviewed the draft report and stated:
The Bury Executives have reviewed the draft report and agree that it provides a fair representation of the service assessed. Thank you again to your team for their thorough and consistent approach and for giving their time to help us improve our services for patients and their families.
The Trust also noted a number of improvements already underway, including extended opening hours for the UTC and Same Day Emergency Care, and ongoing expansion of the A&E department to improve space, privacy and patient flow.
