NHS Fife’s outgoing chair has sought assurances that hospital services running at nearly full capacity are “safe” amid serious concerns about staff and patient welfare.
Allan Burns was forced to ask the health board’s chief executive Paul Hawkins for reassurance after it was revealed that “more than 99 per cent” of beds at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy were occupied.
“I believe we are safe,” said Mr Hawkins.
“I believe we have systems and processes in place to say that we are safe.”
But employee director Wilma Brown said staff were under “enormous pressure”.
She said: “Staff are caught in the middle of this.
“You can feel it in the room how much pressure they are under. Members of staff are going off with stress related illnesses — people I thought I would never see going off sick.
“Junior members of staff need to be clear what the plan is. They talked to me about confusion. They’re very confused about the what the day to day running of the hospital is.”
At the board’s last meeting of 2016, which saw Mr Burns hand over the role of chair to Tricia Marwick, health bosses heard the target of at least 95 per cent of patients at accident and emergency being seen in less than four hours would be “increasingly challenged” over the winter months.
Director of health and social care Michael Kellet said staff levels would be maintained over the winter to allow patients home from hospital.
“Social work staff doing assessments will be around right through that period.”
Non-executive director Alison Rooney said: “I’m deeply uncomfortable about a hospital functioning at 99 per cent.”
Professor Scott McLean, chief operating officer for acute services, said hospital occupancy was having an impact on waiting times.
And he said that having a hospital running at more than 99 per cent capacity left acute services in a “difficult place”.
He added: “We have the ongoing issue of patients in delay or about to enter delay.”
An NHS Fife spokesperson said: “NHS Fife works closely with Fife Health and Social Care Partnership to minimise delays in patient discharge and to manage bed occupancy.
“While the Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy, can experience high occupancy rates over winter, and currently has a high rate of occupancy, we continue to deliver our full range of services and patient safety is always our top priority.”