Nicosia, Cyprus. The Audit Office reported prolonged waiting times of up to 11 hours for patients at accident and emergency units after an undercover inspection of Nicosia and Limassol general hospitals.
Findings on waiting times
The Audit Office said waiting times at Nicosia general hospital were slower than in Limassol, with average waits reaching five hours and 15 minutes in the capital compared with two hours and 49 minutes in Limassol. The longest wait recorded was 11 hours and 28 minutes at Nicosia general hospital.
Overnight handling of cases
The report said that between 3am and 6am, specialist doctors on duty are informed about and provide services only for cases deemed to require immediate handling. For other cases, specialist doctors are informed at 6am, which the Audit Office said leaves patients in suspense and their relatives suffering, with relatives usually waiting outside the units until they are informed of how the patient will be managed.
Disagreements over specialty responsibility
The report said some cases are delayed due to disagreements between clinical doctors over which specialty a case belongs to. It said a mechanism for resolving disputes is being implemented, but it must be direct and not cause any delay, adding that disagreements between responsible units should in no case delay case management.
Concerns over referrals without specialist involvement
The Audit Office reported that in some cases, patients were being referred from accident and emergency units to wards and clinics by resident doctors rather than specialist doctors, with no communication with specialist doctors before decisions were made. The report said this carries the risk of incorrect or incompletely documented clinical decisions and a potential impact on service quality.
Potential legal exposure
It added that in the event of legal proceedings, not consulting a specialist doctor for a referral may expose both the state health services organisation (Okypy) and the doctors involved to legal liability.
Have you experienced prolonged waiting times at an accident and emergency unit?