Milton Keynes Hospital

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

We rated responsive as good. We assessed 1 quality statement on equity in access. People could mostly access care, treatment and support when they needed to. However, staff told us of challenges they experienced when caring for patients with mental health concerns.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

We did not look at Person-centred Care during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Care provision, Integration and continuity during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Providing Information during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Listening to and involving people during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

Patients could access the service when they needed. We saw patients who did not speak English as a first language being triaged using translations services. The environment in children’s ED (CED) was child focussed, contained children specific displays and was visually appealing for children. The waiting room was suitable for children and young people and there was access to refreshments. There was a TV for children to watch, a sensory room and a breastfeeding area.

Patients with mental health concerns who needed admitting to specialised day and inpatient units could experience significant waits for beds to become available. This was a national issue, which was a significant challenge for staff as patients could often be waiting in ED until a bed was found. Staff had developed a checklist for extended stays of children and young people with mental health issues. Staff told us of challenges they experienced when caring for patients with mental health concerns. Staff described a lack of a dedicated spaces and privacy for mental health patients, concerns about resource constraints and regular struggles to find available beds for mental health patients due to full capacity. Staff said they had good relationships with the children's mental health colleagues, but this resource was tested continuously with the numbers of children and families requiring support.

At the time of our assessment, the emergency department did not yet have an approved escalation policy for times when the department was reaching capacity. However, we were provided with a draft policy during our assessment. The policy set out the actions that staff should take to address any issues with the flow of patients through the department. Data provided by the trust showed patients were receiving timely initial assessments. National guidance states patients should be assessed within 15 minutes of arrival. The median time to triage in children’s ED was 11 minutes in the 3 months prior to our inspection. The median time from arrival to ED to initial assessment was 7 minutes for patients arriving by ambulance and 9 minutes for self-presenting patients in March 2024. The median time from arrival to treatment for all patients in March 2024 was 98 minutes. Use of virtual wards, frailty same day emergency care services and medical same day emergency care service improved flow within the emergency department with the aim of reducing long stay and readmission.

We did not look at Equity in experiences and outcomes during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Planning for the future during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.