CROYDON University Hospital chiefs have said A&E staff will get the tools "they deserve", as £2.53 million is ploughed into a computer system to tackle declining standards and chaotic working conditions.
Bosses this week admitted a much-needed IT upgrade to improve monitoring of patients' needs is "long overdue" and that a new system will go live in June to address the issue.
The promise comes as figures compiled by NHS London show Croydon's A&E is the second worst across the whole of London for seeing "major" needs patients within nationally set targets.
Croydon is 21st out of 22 trusts across London for dealing with "Type 1" – potentially life-threatening, major needs – incidents within the required four-hour target.
For the first nine months of 2012/13, Croydon Health Services – the NHS trust which runs the hospital – has seen 90.8 per cent of patients within the target time after arriving by ambulance. Only Barking, Havering and Redbridge (BHR) trust performed worse.
Croydon has also been fined £106,000 this year for missing "60 minute from ambulance to triage" targets, which cost £1,000 every time a patient has not been assessed within an hour of arriving.
At a hospital board meeting on Monday, medical director Tony Newman-Sanders admitted the lack of an up-to-date system had been compounding issues.
He said: "It has been long overdue and the workers in A&E will now get the system they deserve."
The FirstNet Cerner system – which makes it easier for staff to monitor patients' needs and track their progress – will go live in June, he added.
Other departments are also set to benefit from the new system.
Earlier this month, the Advertiser revealed how A&E staff wrote a letter to John Goulston – the hospital's interim chief executive who took over in May after a stint at BHR – describing the department as "probably one of the worst in the country" with severely outdated systems.
Folake Segun, spokesperson for patient group Croydon Healthwatch Pathfinder, said the announcement of the new system was "encouraging" for staff and patients.
It emerged Croydon Health Services' bid to become a foundation trust was in serious jeopardy with it struggling to break even financially by the end of 2012/13.
Mr Goulston blamed the poor financial results on a 10 per cent rise in the number of people needing to be admitted to hospital after visiting A&E.
To gain foundation status, trusts should record a surplus of at least 1 per cent by year-end. However, Croydon is currently running with a £1.2 million deficit. It is the first time for years it has struggled to break even, having posted surpluses for at least the last five years.
A bid for foundation status must be submitted by August in order to meet the Government's deadline. All hospitals must achieve the status, which grants more independence and accountability, by March 2014 or face being merged with other trusts.
John Goulston – Croydon University Hospital's interim chief executive – has made it through to the final stage of the process for landing the job permanently, despite receiving a vote of no-confidence. The hospital's interim chair, Mike Bell, who is responsible for the role, will announce who has been chosen within the next two weeks. A shortlist of four has been drawn up which includes Mr Goulston, the Advertiser has learned, despite having received a vote of no-confidence in his performance from the non-executive directors of the board, who are threatening a walkout if he is chosen. Mr Goulston was appointed in March and took over in May last year. Interviews with the four candidates have been conducted throughout this week with a decision due by the panel overseeing the appointment next week. Thirteen applications were received for the post. Mr Bell, who the Advertiser last week revealed is being paid double what his predecessors were – £44,000 for a temporary 12-month stint – confirmed at the hospital's board meeting on Monday that an announcement will be made within the next few weeks .