Hospitals are ‘the worst place you can possibly be in the healthcare system’ – according to the director of an NHS trust.
Nick Hulme, who runs Ipswich and Colchester hospitals, called them “unsafe places” and added that the public had “accepted what is totally unacceptable”.
He said: “These are horrible places – the food sucks, we don’t let you sleep, we don’t let you know what’s going on.”
He revealed that he has stayed in some “pretty ugly” hotels in his time, adding that none of these are places where visitors are forced to “share a bathroom with six people”.
Nick Hulme (pictured with Boris Johnson at Colchester Hospital), who runs the hospitals in Ipswich and Colchester, called them “unsafe places” and added that the public had “accepted what is totally unacceptable”.
Mr Hulme (pictured) said: “These are terrible places – the food is rubbish, we don’t let you sleep, we don’t let you know what’s going on.”
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“They are appalling and we need to get that message across,” the head of East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust told a local meeting of the integrated care board.
“These are not safe places, and unless you really have to be there, you shouldn’t be there.”
Two weeks ago, a patient who went to the emergency room at Ipswich Hospital with abdominal pain complained that she was placed in a maternity ward and had to wait four days to see a doctor.
Michelle Emmerson-Grey (44) was only seen by anyone after she met Mr. Hulme tweeted.
“To be without a doctor for four days and still in pain is ridiculous,” she said, adding that the system “didn’t work.”
The hospital was also criticized in 2018 for using taxpayer money for at least 13 “virginity restoration” procedures between 2012 and 2017, which involved suturing or reconstructing the hymen.
Mr Hulme has worked in the NHS for over 35 years, becoming Chief Executive Officer of The Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust in 2013 and taking up the same role at Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust from May 2016.
The trusts were merged in July 2018.
Official figures show that 356 patients waited more than 12 hours to be admitted to the Trust’s emergency room in December, while a further 9,324 had to wait at least four hours.
Two weeks ago, a patient who went to the emergency room at Ipswich Hospital with abdominal pain complained that she was placed in a maternity ward and had to wait four days to see a doctor. Michelle Emmerson-Grey (photo), 44, was not seen by anyone after she met Mr. Hulme did not tweet
Nick Hulme, who runs the hospitals in Ipswich (pictured) and Colchester, called them “unsafe places” and added that the public had “accepted what is totally unacceptable”.
Overall, just 66 percent of ER patients saw a doctor within four hours, compared to a national target of 95 percent.
Hospitals are struggling with winter pressure, a backlog caused by Covid-19 lockdowns, bed closures and strikes.
Mr. At Tuesday’s ICB meeting, Hulme referred to the pre-pandemic period when hospitals he controls almost reported a serious incident when five patients were left without emergency room beds overnight.
He added: “If it’s five now we’ll be very happy. We think it’s a good night.”
A trust spokesman said yesterday it was responding to a question about community care in public session.
‘[Hospitals are] not always the best place to be cared for,” she said.
Asked what Mr Hulme had done to improve conditions for patients, she added: “He does a lot.”
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
