The University Hospital of Wales' A&E department is overcrowded, visibly dirty, and cannot guarantee the safety and dignity of patients, a damning inspection has found. Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) visited the Cardiff-based emergency unit and assessment unit between June 20 and 22 and identified a series of failings.
Inspectors said there was insufficient seating for the numbers of people attending the emergency unit which led to one patient sitting on the floor and another sitting on bins in a corridor. Within the neighbouring assessment unit, it found that patients were in such close proximity to one another that it sometimes compromised their privacy and dignity.
Within waiting areas it was discovered that some patients spent hours on end on high-backed chairs which were unsuitable for resting for long periods of time or sleeping. Inspectors identified one person who had spent the night using an arrangement of two high-backed chairs that did not recline.
