A nurse from the closing West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust clinical helpline team speaks of concerns over axing of the service
An experienced nurse whose clinical helpline team is being axed by a cash-strapped NHS trust said ‘huge safety concerns’ have been raised with bosses over the closure.
The nurse, who we are keeping anonymous, found out a week ago along with her colleagues on the clinical helpline for West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (WSFT) that the service would close and their jobs are being lost.
A total of 15 people work on the nationally award-winning helpline, which provides updates on patients being cared for on the trust’s inpatient wards.
It’s understood the hundreds of calls a week which would normally go through to the helpline would instead have to go through the switchboard or relatives would have to contact staff directly.
WSFT, which runs West Suffolk Hospital, in Bury St Edmunds, and Newmarket Community Hospital, needs to save approximately £38 million over the next three years, which is close to 10 per cent of its income.
The trust said it no longer receives funding for the clinical helpline but enhanced visiting times and alternative routes to receive updates on patients were in place.
Providing an insight into the pressures on the wards, the nurse said they heard from distressed relatives who were concerned about the care their family members were receiving.
“It’s really, really sad because it’s every day we are making a difference for our community,” the nurse said. “Every day we get people who say they find the helpline amazing.
“We are one of the only ones in the country that do this and other hospitals would really like to copy the process we have.
“We have said to them [the trust] we have huge safety concerns. We are finding people - it seems dreadful - they are stuck on the commode for an hour and no-one has come back to check on them. And then we are trying to get hold of the ward to check on people.”
She also spoke of a case of a relative who rang the helpline in tears, as their family member was not receiving the care they needed.
She said: “The care has been dreadful and we are finding we are having to ring them [the wards] to tell them they are struggling and they need help. When we go, what on earth is going to happen?
“I know they are really, really busy, they are all really stretched.”
She said they heard from so many upset people, adding: “We are fielding off potential complaints for the trust every day.”
She claimed the environment was not one in which staff could speak up about such issues.
She also spoke of the trust scaling back the psychological support for staff.
WSFT is reducing the level of support it can offer through its staff psychology team in its efforts to address its financial challenges.
The nurse said: “So they don’t care about the community and they don’t care about the staff. The trust’s values are out of the window.
“I don’t know, it just feels like we are letting down our community really. We are really devastated.
“If you heard the things people call us with, it’s just so sad to hear this is our NHS. This isn’t how it should be. It’s thinking about money and not people. It’s just wrong, it’s plain wrong.”
In terms of whether the clinical helpline staff would be redeployed, she said she doesn’t believe there are any jobs to be moved to.
Another person contacted SuffolkNews about the importance of the helpline.
They said since it was launched in 2020 it had proved to save money and valuable time for hospital staff and used as a model for others.
They said: “It has now been decided by management to close this service to ‘save costs’ and lay off experienced nurses running the service.
“This will result in increased workload for the hospital switchboard and individual wards and reduce accessibility by patient’s next of kin.
“At the same time experienced staff will be lost to the hospital at a time when massive shortages are being experienced.”
Ravi Ayyamuthu, interim medical director for the WSFT, said: “We would like to thank the clinical helpline team for their invaluable service; we are very proud of the accolades they have achieved. However, due to our challenging financial position, we have taken the tough decision to close this service.
“We understand how difficult this must be for the members of staff affected and we are supporting them through this change, which includes finding suitable redeployment opportunities within the trust where possible.”
“Established in response to Covid-19, the trust no longer receives funding for the clinical helpline. However, please be assured that enhanced visiting times and alternative routes to receive updates on patients in our care are in place, and there are multiple ways that any concerns can be raised.”
Should a family member or a friend need an update on a patient, they can telephone the ward via switchboard on 01284 713000 and ask to be put through to the appropriate ward.
Patients or families and friends of patients who are concerned their condition is deteriorating can contact the trust’s Call 4 Concern team on 01284 713000 and ask for ‘Call 4 Concern’.
The team will then visit the patient on the ward to discuss any concerns raised and liaise with the patient’s care team.
If a patient or a loved one of a patient would like to raise any issues or submit a complaint, they can contact the trust’s patient advice and liaison service (PALS) on 01284 712555 or PALS@wsh.nhs.uk.
