Claims that injured patients at Colchester General Hospital's accident and emergency department were sent to Ipswich for treatment are baffling the Trust which runs the facility.
People with injuries, including a suspected eye/head fracture and a hand fracture, were turned away from the Colchester department, according to the Community Health Council (CHC).
But a spokesman for Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs Colchester General, said the group was very surprised by the news.
He said the claims were being looked into and more details had been requested.
"We are genuinely baffled and concerned," he said.
The spokesman said Colchester General had the facilities to deal with such conditions and sending patients with fractures to another hospital in a car was certainly not standard practice.
The situation is said to have arisen when a survey was being carried out by CHC members during a 36-hour period at the end of November.
The Trust spokesman said the detailed CHC report was welcomed and would be looked at to see where things could be improved further.
Survey comments included: the perennial Colchester General problem of insufficient parking places; the need for drinking water in the A&E department and being able to obtain accurate information about waiting times.
But the survey also revealed patients were pleased with speed of treatment and found staff very helpful.
Published Wednesday, June 4, 2003
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