This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust to close night-time A&E
United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust has confirmed it is considering closing its accident and emergency department at night, in order to combat a severe shortage of doctors.
The Trust said that closing the Grantham A&E rather than the departments at Lincoln County Hospital or Pilgrim Hospital in Boston would be the safest option, and that failing to act may put patients at risk.
The emergency departments at Grantham hospital usually operate with 15 consultants and 28 registrar or middle grade doctors, however it currently has 14 consultants, including 10 locums, and just 12 registrars.
Commenting on the news, Dr Suneil Kapadia, medical director at the trust, said: "We haven't made a final decision yet and we hope to avoid this, but the reality is we will need to temporarily reduce the opening hours of A&E at Grantham.
"The quality and safety of patient care is the trust's number one priority and we haven't rested on our laurels."
The news comes after a recruitment drive to attract more staff from both inside the UK and overseas failed, while £4 million was invested in urgent care services.
RCEM President Dr Clifford Mann said: "The great efforts made by doctors and nurses to help patients in under-resourced locations sometimes is not sustainable.
"As well as potentially putting patient safety at risk, placing an ever increasing workload on overstretched staff can create a vicious circle in retention and recruitment, with many overworked trainees simply choosing to leave the
country or indeed the speciality altogether.
"The wider picture is there is a real crisis in emergency medicine as our workforce numbers are not growing fast enough to keep pace with rising numbers of patients attending A&E Departments."
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