Staff shake-up planned for Dewsbury hospital

Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust said that improvements to its management of accident and emergency, and its ambulatory care system meant there was less demand for emergency beds at the hospital.

The trust’s director of operations in emergency and elective services, Neil Clark, told stakeholders that Ward 5 staff could be moved to “other wards where there is a greater need for their skills”.

He said: “The trust has robust plans to increase medical bed capacity to address any increased requirement and it is likely this ward will be used to support the management of winter pressures.”

The trust was unable to confirm to which wards staff could be moved.

He added that the trust was looking to increase the number of medical beds at Pinderfields Hospital, in Wakefield, to reduce the number of patient transfers to Dewsbury and District Hospital.

He also said the trust had plans to improve services for elderly people.

He said: “A&E services across the trust continue to be amongst the best performers in the country and it’s reassuring to know that the genuine health economy team effort required to speed up the patient journey from admission to discharge is reducing the number of patients having to stay on the ward.”