Situation critical

POTENTIAL risks to Accident and Emergency patient safety have finally been exposed after the contents of two independent critical reviews have been circulated.

Findings and recommendations of the College of Emergency Medicine report and a review by consultants Capita highlight a need for change, saying current practises leave the island's emergency department vulnerable during out of hours and a lack of nurse triage poses both clinical and corporate risk.

The college's report also questions the emergency experience of some GPs working in the department.

Other criticisms highlighted included a lack of consultant leadership.

'While the report did highlight some opportunities for improvement to services, on the whole there was a firm acknowledgment that we are in a better position than our UK counterparts,' said HSSD chief officer Mark Cooke.