Less Admissions For Hospital As Care Tent Hailed A Success
5 January 2012
A city centre care facility that treated people with minor
injuries during the festive season contributed to a drop in the
number of accident and emergency admissions at
Peterborough City Hospital.
Twenty-nine night-time revellers with
cuts, bruises and other non-life threatening injuries were attended
to by staff in the care tent on Laxton Square in Peterborough for
three nights including Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
The number of people treated by the SaferPeterborough
partnership Peterborough Care Facility was less than half the
amount who needed medical attention on nights out during Christmas
and New Year in 2010. The facility was open for medical assistance
and wellbeing advice from 10pm until 4am.
Intoxicated party-goers and vulnerable people were treated in a
tent that included bedding, ice packs, blankets, first aid kits and
oxygen response bags. The care facility team included staff from
the East of England Ambulance Service
NHS Trust, Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation
Trust, St John Ambulance,
Cambridgeshire Constabulary and
Peterborough City Council.
The final evening of the care facility on New Year's Eve saw 18
people receive medical treatment, five of whom needed attention to
head and facial injuries, while four people were examined due to
alcohol intoxication and two revellers were treated following falls
and trips. Others who visited the care facility were given welfare
care and advice by police.
Celia Kendrick, lead nurse in the Emergency
Department at Peterborough City Hospital, said: "The care facility
made a real difference to the demand upon staff in the Emergency
Department, especially on New Year’s Eve. We were very pleased to
offer our support again this year to ensure that people were given
appropriate medical help straight away."
Inspector Matt Newman of Cambridgeshire
Constabulary, added: "The care tent provided a useful service
during the festive period and it is pleasing to see that fewer
people required medical attention than last year. By being in the
city centre, it was able to take pressure off emergency health
services, volunteer services and the police who historically
experience an increase in demand for the number of responses needed
during the Christmas and New Year period.
"The care facility would not have gone ahead
without the enthusiasm and support from a number of partners across
services and volunteers. Support also came from Tesco on Broadway
which supplied lollypops, water and chocolate for people visiting
the tent and Pizza Express on Cathedral Square which provided meals
for staff. We thank both businesses for offering their
services."
Ends.
Media contact: Pep Cipriano, SaferPeterborough
Communications Manager- telephone 01733 452551 or email pep.cipriano@peterborough.gov.uk
Notes for editors
1. SaferPeterborough is a partnership of
organisations that work together to reduce crime and anti-social
behaviour, to ensure that Peterborough is a place where people feel
safe. Its priorities cover serious acquisitive crime, anti-social
behaviour, domestic abuse, violent crime (including alcohol-related
crime and disorder), sexual offences, road safety, hate crime,
arson and substance misuse.
2. The partners include Peterborough City
Council, NHS Peterborough, Cambridgeshire Constabulary,
Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, Cambridgeshire Police
Authority and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Probation Trust.