Worcestershire A&E plans 'raise patient safety concerns'

The hospital trust said it will now try and find a model for A&E which has "widespread clinical support"

Planned changes to A&E services at Worcestershire hospitals have left a panel of experts concerned over patient safety.

The West Midlands Clinical Senate said it "does not support" plans for a downgraded emergency department at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch.

Their review was carried out ahead of a public consultation on the plans.

The group overseeing hospital changes said it will try to find a model for A&E with "widespread clinical support".

The review did support plans to move obstetrics and gynaecology and emergency surgery services from Redditch to Worcester.

West Midlands Clinical Senate's concerns

• Increased clinical risk arising from the removal of key Alexandra Hospital services, including inpatient paediatrics and emergency surgery

• Public and staff misunderstanding of the type of emergency medical care available at the Alexandra Hospital

• Whether staffing levels are "sustainable"

The panel "strongly recommended" more work to ensure staff and members of the public understand where sick children from Redditch and Bromsgrove should be taken to and when.

There also needs to be a clear plan for dealing with children out of hours and how they would be moved by ambulance to Worcester should the need arise, its report said.

The Future of Acute Hospital Services in Worcestershire Programme Board - the group overseeing the changes - said it accepts "staff and the public need a common understanding about where to take children who require hospital treatment".

A working group of emergency medicine clinicians, including experts from outside Worcestershire and local GPs, will work with the West Midlands Clinical Senate, on a new model for A&E, the board said.

The Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust faces a £27.6m deficit, has struggled to meet A&E targets and is subject to a bullying inquiry.

In February, four A&E consultants quit Alexandra Hospital and a fifth resigned from Worcestershire Royal over concerns about planned changes at the hospitals.

The trust runs Worcestershire Royal Hospital, Kidderminster Hospital and Alexandra Hospital in Redditch.