‘Industrial action must be resolved before winter’ – SAM president

Society for Acute Medicine (SAM) president Dr Tim Cooksley has warned industrial action across the NHS must end before winter to avoid “appalling” patient outcomes and experiences.

He spoke at the start of the organisation’s two-day conference in Glasgow today and tomorrow (12 and 13 October) and following the release today of the latest NHS performance data.

Today’s data shows, among other things:

* 71.6% of patients were seen within 4 hours in all A&E departments in September compared to 73% in August 2023 and 71.1% in September 2022. The 95% standard was last met in July 2015.

* There were 126,000 four-hour delays from decision to admit to admission this month, which compares to 132,000 in September 2022. Of these, 33,100 were delayed over 12 hours (from decision to admit to admission), which compares to 32,800 in September 2022.

* The number of referral to treatment (RTT) pathways where a patient was waiting to start treatment at the end of August 2023 was 7.7 million.

* The total number of patients waiting six weeks or more from referral for one of the 15 key diagnostic tests at the end of August 2023 was 429,400. This was 27.5% of the total number of patients meaning the operational standard of less than 1% of patients waiting six weeks or more was not met.

Dr Cooksley said NHS acute care services continued to be under “immense strain” with clinicians expecting the coming months to be as chaotic and challenging as those witnessed last winter.

“While increased numbers of patients seen through acute medical same day emergency care services continues to help mitigate the current crisis, high absence levels, burn out and low morale among staff continues to dominate the healthcare picture across the UK,” he said.

“I want to reflect upon the immense efforts acute medical teams continue to make to the delivery of patient care – without them the awful experiences for patients last winter would have been even worse.

“Our concern now is that, in light of current immense strain, ongoing industrial action must be resolved before the extreme pressures of winter hit. 

“The current trajectory means if this does not happen the severity of patient outcomes and experiences over the winter months will be appalling.”

Dr Cooksley said there is “enthusiasm” among  colleagues to see light at the end of the tunnel but warned many “can’t tolerate the haemorrhaging of staff”.

“Short and long term sustainable plans that invigorate and energise staff and begin to restore patient confidence in acute care services are time critical,” he said.

“These need to increase both workforce and capacity. 

“The overwhelming desire of colleagues everywhere is for this to be achieved but many, understandably, cannot tolerate the current situation any longer as we haemorrhage acute staff.”

Acute medicine deals with the immediate and early treatment of adult patients with a variety of medical conditions who present to hospital as emergencies.

The specialty receives the majority of patients admitted from A&E onto acute medical units and helps maintain the flow of patients through emergency departments to avoid exit block, the term used when patients cannot be moved into a hospital bed.

Visit www.samglasgow2023.org for more information.