Glangwili Hospital: Report finds 'overcrowding' and 'inconsistent' care at Carmarthen A&E

The Healthcare Inspectorate Wales report found "immediate action" was needed to improve care at Glangwili General Hospital's A&E. Credit: Media Wales

Patients attending a Welsh hospital's A&E faced "overcrowding" and were not receiving consistently safe care, according to a report published on March 17.

Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) conducted an unannounced inspection of the emergency department at Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen in December 2022.

It found that the service was under "significant pressure" and despite the hard work of staff, there was an increased risk to patients.

Some patients reported that they had to sleep on chairs or on the floor due to long waits in the department.

The report did acknowledge staff working hard to deliver quality care but also emphasised the need for immediate action to improve certain areas.

Hywel Dda University Health Board, which is responsible for Glangwili Hospital, said it is focusing on delivering its improvement plan and acknowledged the challenges it and the wider healthcare system faces.

Welsh hospitals were under particular pressure during December 2022, with all health boards at the highest level of escalation.

During the inspection, which was carried out across three days, HIW found some of the challenges the department and hospital faced were leading to an increased risk to patients.

"Overcrowding" meant patients were waiting in non-designated areas of the unit and "a lack of toilet and washing facilities", meaning staff could not manage patient privacy or follow infection prevention and control procedures fully.

Patients were waiting for "extensive periods" due to "significant challenges with maintaining patient flow through the hospital". Those waiting for care also expressed frustration with a lack of updates on their treatment.

Some patients told inspectors they had to sleep on chairs or the floor for long periods.

However HIW did find staff were working extremely hard to provide good quality care amid considerable pressures.

Medicines were generally seen to be safely managed, patient records were easy to navigate and patients told inspectors they were mostly satisfied with the service they had received.

Chief Executive of HIW, Alun Jones said: "The pressure on NHS services continues to be extraordinarily high and as in other Emergency Department inspections we have undertaken, we have again found evidence of a service struggling to meet demand and to maintain patient safety with the resources available.

"I acknowledge the hard work and dedication of staff within this service, and our report provides an opportunity to highlight the challenges that patients and staff within this service are facing on a daily basis.

"The specific recommendations for action we have set out will support the health board to reduce risks to patients and staff whilst they continue to deal with this challenging period. We will continue to engage with Hywel Dda University Health Board to ensure progress against our findings."

Hywel Dda University Health Board said it is focusing on delivering its improvement plan. Credit: ITV Wales

Hywel Dda health board has produced a plan with detailed actions on how improvements will be made within the emergency department.

Andrew Carruthers, Director of Operations at the health board said: “We are pleased that the dedication and hard work of our staff is reflected in the findings of HIW inspection team.

"While the report states that generally patients and carers were satisfied with the service they had received at the Emergency Department at Glangwili Hospital, we do, however, recognise that there are significant challenges within the Department.

"We also recognise the regrettable impact these have on our patients and their experience of using our services. These challenges are not unique to Glangwili Hospital and are also faced by the NHS across Wales and the UK.

"We wish to reassure people that we are focusing on our improvement plan to address the recommendations of the report, and to provide ongoing assurances for our communities of the quality of the services we have to offer and provide."

Any patients concerned with their care or treatment are encouraged to contact the health board's patient support team.

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