Patient turns up to Luton and Dunstable Hospital A&E with dandruff - as staff 'burnt out' by demand

A patient visited accident and emergency at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital with nothing more than dandruff, a meeting heard.

Staff at the department, which is currently undergoing a £25m renovation, are burnt out, the borough council’s scrutiny health and social care review group was told.

And 24-hour security protection has been introduced because of an increase in violence and aggression towards staff, while video cameras are being considered for clinical leaders.

A report on the emergency department’s performance was presented to the committee by chief executive of the Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust David Carter.

He referred to the Luton and Dunstable as “probably the most consistent accident and emergency performer in the country” before the pandemic.

But things have changed, shown by long waits in accident and emergency and the knock-on effect for ambulances, according to Mr Carter.

“We’re struggling with the flow through hospital,” he explained. “We need to separate Covid and non-Covid patients, which slows us down and gives us less flexibility. And there’s staff absence through Covid.

“People accessing London accident and emergencies as commuters are now working from home, increasing the pressure on towns outside including Luton.

“We’re not happy with the current performance level. We need to get that back up. The good news is the £25m we’re spending will provide significant extra capacity, with more space and cubicles to meet growing demand.”

Deputy medical director at the trust and a consultant in the emergency department Dave Kirby: said: “The tolerance and threshold at which society seeks medical care has continued to reduce.

“Now people want to see a doctor, a nurse or a pharmacist about pretty much anything. There’s no such thing as a quiet time of day.

“You used to get one or two an hour book in (overnight). Now it’s 15 or 20 throughout the night.

“There’s been a rise in alcohol and drug-related problems, and in paediatric attendances. There’s been a massive increase in mental health issues.

“A big problem is in the failure of domiciliary care and our ability to take patients back into the community quickly and effectively.

“Working on a building site is a difficult process,” he warned. “The staff are burnt out.

“We’re seeing an increase in the amount of violence and aggression taken out on our staff to the point where we’ve security 24 hours a day in the department. We’re looking into body worn video cameras for our clinical leaders there.

“We do everything in our power to get patients seen and sorted as quickly as possible, but it’s become an ever increasing uphill battle.

“We accept some of the delays are within our own house and we’re taking steps to resolve those.”

Asked about average waiting times, Mr Kirby replied: “It depends on how many people turn up, the cubicle spaces availability, and a patient’s condition. If you’re desperately sick, there’s no waiting time.

“If you arrive with dandruff, like someone two weeks ago, you’ll wait a long time. It varies between half an hour and three to three-and-a-half hours.”