Royal Glamorgan Hospital ED patients offered next-day appointment in pilot project

Patients who attend the Royal Glamorgan Hospital (RGH) with a minor injury late in the evening are being offered a choice of waiting to be seen or returning the following day for a timed appointment, under a new pilot scheme to reduce waiting times.

People attending the hospital’s Emergency Department with certain conditions after 9.30pm will be offered a further appointment at either RGH or Ysbyty Cwm Rhondda, after being assessed by an experienced triage nurse. Any patient can choose to wait in the Emergency Department for further treatment instead of returning the next morning. 

ED Clinical Lead Amanda Farrow said: “Patients who attend the ED at RGH late in the evening with a minor injury often have a prolonged wait due to the business of the department. There is no facility to offer an alternative appointment at the Minor Injury Unit (MIU) at Ysbyty Cwm Rhondda, as this service runs Monday to Friday, 9am to 4.30pm, excluding bank holidays. 

“We’re now asking patients who attend the ED with a minor injury after 9:30pm to attend the following morning as a booked appointment at either RGH or YCR. This service will only be available for certain conditions and after an assessment has been made by an experienced triage nurse. Patients will be offered pain relief and first aid measures on their first attendance.

“If a patient has a minor injury and it is very busy, they don’t have to wait. This allows our ED staff to see them in a planned way and also helps maintain social distancing and infection prevention and control.” 

The appointment system is a pilot project, with patient feedback being collated and reviewed to determine the model for future services. 

Vulnerable patients and children with a bruise or injury who are non-mobile will be seen on their first attendance and will not be offered a next-day appointment.