Situation in urgent and emergency care “unbearable” – SAM president

Commenting today (21 December) on the current pressures in urgent and emergency care, Dr Tim Cooksley, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “The situation in urgent and emergency care is unbearable for patients and staff. This is exemplified by the current situation in emergency departments.

Patients are enduring unacceptable long waits for beds on acute medical units and inpatient wards. The backlog in emergency care can be witnessed every day on the corridors of our emergency departments. Acute care is being delivered by teams in emergency departments rather than in optimal environments.

“This has been happening for a reasonable period and is now virtually universal across all hospitals. The strike today amplified this situation; it is not causative. 

“A number of hospitals declaring critical incidents prior to the strike reflects the immense pressures and poor patient experience in acute care currently. 

“There may be some patients who have delayed attending because of the strike and it is reasonable to expect further strains over the next few days; but this is an expectation with which those working in acute care are increasingly familiar.

“The festive period will be extremely tough. Patient satisfaction and morale among staff is low with little expectation of short-term improvement. 

“Sustainable workforce and capacity plans are required urgently to boost morale among staff and patients that engender a hope that improvement is not a distant vision.”