Patients left without dignity, hospital staff say

Hospital staff at Queen's Hospital in Burton upon Trent have criticised its leadership for allowing patients to be "left without dignity" in a substandard hospital unit.

A recent board meeting heard patients awaiting surgery were having to change into gowns behind curtains, wait on chairs after bowel preparation, and discuss high-risk procedures within earshot of others.

The Elective Admissions Lounge (EAL) has been unavailable to surgical teams for three years due to renovations elsewhere on the estate.

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton (UHDB) said the unit had been unavailable for patients for longer than originally planned, because of delays that were out of its control.

In a question to the trust's board, staff from the General Surgery and Anaesthesia departments highlighted how the elective lounge was originally built to support planned admissions across upper gastrointestinal, colorectal, urology and gynaecology services.

They said it had individual cubicles and a layout tailored for surgical workflows, allowing teams to prepare patients safely while preserving privacy and dignity.

However, the space was reassigned to obstetrics as a temporary measure during refurbishment of another ward, a "short-term" decision they said made without consulting staff that had now stretched into three years.

It has left patients having to use an interim lounge, described as a "small space" elsewhere, with patients admitted through the Surgical Assessment Unit (SAU), the board heard.

"You need to spend a morning in SAU or the interim EAL in ward 15 to see with your eyes the appalling situation our patients face," staff wrote in a memo to the trust's leadership board.

"You will see elderly patients awaiting for a complex cancer procedure after having bowel prep, waiting on a chair, you will see elective colorectal patients not able to have the appropriate preparation, you will see patients having to change from their clothes to surgical gowns behind a curtain, while another patient is reviewed by a doctor on the other side of said curtain.

"Patients are briefed for their anaesthetic for potentially high-risk procedures behind a curtain to protect them for eavesdroppers.

"These patients have been coping stoically for three years without raising a single complaint, because they were grateful to the NHS. And how is our hospital treating them for the last three years? By depriving them of their decency and privacy on one of the most vulnerable moments in their lives."

The staff also have called for a "definitive timeline" for when the elective lounge will be returned to its original use.

Andrew Selby, UHDB's Director of Estates and Facilities, told the board meeting that the trust was aware of the issue and acknowledged that the location "was not at the standard that the trust would want for its patients or for its teams".

"It fell below the level of privacy, dignity and environment the Trust strove for, and should not be seen as a long-term solution," he told the board, according to the minutes of the meeting.

He added that "a number of unforeseen issues" had delayed the renovations elsewhere on the estate and "that had understandably extended the impact on surgical and anaesthetic teams, for which the trust was sorry."

Selby also said that the situation was "a reflection of the broader challenge that the trust continued to face with an ageing estate at Burton", leaving it "constantly juggling space, safety requirements and urgent infrastructure needs".

Responding to the BBC, Selby said services needed to be moved at times temporarily to allow essential maintenance to be carried out.

"In this case, it has allowed us to create a safe space for pregnant women with emergency and urgent care needs, and a brand-new special care baby unit for our youngest patients," he said.

"Our colleagues working in the surgery waiting area are, rightly, strong advocates for their patients, and while they continue to deliver safe, quality care, we all acknowledge the temporary location doesn't reflect the experience we aim to provide for our patients.

"Due to some delays out of our control, this has gone on longer than originally planned, and we are focused on resolving this as quickly as possible."

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