Latest news with #SurreyAndSussexHealthcare
BBC News
25-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Former paramedic slams A&E 'chaos' at Redhill hospital
A former NHS paramedic has described being admitted as a patient to A&E as "wall to wall chaos" and said staff treated her "like a piece of meat".Julie Rowland has worked for the NHS for more than 30 years. In April she was admitted to A&E at East Surrey Hospital in Redhill with a potential bleed on her brain. Ms Rowland said she was becoming more ill and thought "I've had a brain haemorrhage...I'm gonna die on this trolley".In response to the allegations, Dr Ed Cetti, chief medical officer for Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, responded by saying the trust was disappointed "we haven't been able to agree an onward care plan that the patient is content with despite our best efforts". Recalling her time in A&E Ms Rowland said it was "wall to wall chaos, noise, unprofessional, non-caring, chaotic, disorganised madness"."I've worked in A&E, I've never been confronted by that," she what she witnessed, she said there were "trolleys everywhere going up the main corridor round the corner out of sight of everybody, you could have died in that corridor and nobody would have noticed". Ms Rowland said she had lost much of her sight since her hospital admission but as she had not received a diagnosis she could not begin is currently receiving support from charities to help her to continue to live at home. "This could be a lifelong disability and it potentially is going to be, and I think that's why I'm angry," she said."It's about the NHS taking accountability. You've changed my life forever and you've not given a monkey's about it either." Dr Cetti said: "We are focused on getting patients the care they need as quickly as possible and it is incredibly disappointing to hear about cases where this has not happened, and we haven't been able to agree an onward care plan that the patient is content with despite our best efforts."Our staff are working hard to treat all patients coming into our Emergency Department as quickly as they can based on their clinical need, but unfortunately very high levels of demand have led to longer waiting times than we would expect to see."Patients will always be offered the most clinically appropriate treatment option for them, including all relevant diagnostics tests and scans to rule out life-threatening illness or injury, and in the last year we have put in place rapid access clinics to escalate follow-up appointments if a patient condition worsens."
BBC News
07-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
New NHS diagnostics centre to open in Redhill
A new Community Diagnostics Centre (CDC) is set to open this summer, aiming to speed up access to vital NHS tests for thousands of patients across Surrey and centre is funded by NHS England and will be based in the Belfry Shopping Centre in Redhill, is expected to carry out nearly 40,000 tests in its first year, potentially reducing around 200,000 patient journeys to East Surrey Hospital over five Stevenson, chief executive of Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, said the new facility would "help meet rising demand and reduce waiting times". Once operational, the CDC will offer a 12-hour, seven-day-a-week service, providing tests such as CT scans, X-rays, ECGs, ultrasounds, and blood and respiratory checks. The centre will also allow GPs to refer patients directly, streamlining the diagnostic process and offering a "one-stop shop" for a range of CDC is a joint initiative between Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust and Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Stevenson said: "Quicker and more efficient tests mean we can start treatment for serious illnesses like cancer sooner, improving outcomes for our patients." The Redhill CDC builds on the Trust's existing services at Crawley Hospital, where over 169,000 tests have already been delivered since 2023 with plans for a further 171,500 tests before the end of March Crawley site is one of more than 170 CDCs operating across England.
