Conquest fails targets in three areas

THE Conquest Hospital is not achieving its targets for bed blocking, infection control and junior doctors' hours '” but the situation is improving.

Latest published figures for July show the hospital is below average in its ability to control infections spreading within the hospital.

The Conquest, together with Eastbourne District General Hospital, has a rating of 72, with the national average way up at 86.9.

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However, spokesman Simon Purkiss said figures for August showed the problem is being tackled and figures are now much nearer the national average '” although there has been no major change in the way the hospital controls infections.

He said: "The next figures should show we have improved in that area."

Figures for bed blockers '” patients who cannot leave hospital despite no longer needing treatment because there is nowhere suitable for them to go '” are on the way down but still higher than average.

The July figures, which were discussed at the NHS Hospital Trust's board meeting on Wednesday, show more than one in 10 of the Conquest's 440 beds was filled with bed blockers in the month.

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However, after an injection of funding from the county council, the figure has fallen in the past week from 53 to 35, a reduction of 18.

Junior doctors' hours are being tackled with 40 extra doctors appointed recently to help the hospital get in line with new legislation.

The Conquest did not meet the target for July but Mr Purkiss said it expects the hospital to meet it for August, the first month when changes in the law on junior doctors' hours came into force.

The change is called the European Working Time Directive and means junior doctors should not work more than 56 hours a week.

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Furthermore, of the 11 key indicators the hospital is judged on for its annual assessments, which take place at the end of March, the Conquest is on target in eight of them.

Of the three it is not on target for, the biggest problem is in finance where there is a deficit of 22 million overall in East Sussex health care.

Mr Purkiss said: "These figures are just a snapshot for one month and we are confident the Conquest will meet its targets by the end of the year."