‘Concern about continued emergency care crisis is well placed’ – SAM past president (02 December)

Commenting on Labour’s plan to commit to the restoration of the 92% referral to treatment (RTT) target by March 2029, as reported in The Times today (02 December), Dr Tim Cooksley, immediate past president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “The concern that urgent and emergency care will experience a continued crisis is well placed. 

“The pressures throughout the system are perfectly and bleakly illustrated in urgent and emergency care where patients experience appalling conditions and prolonged waits. 

“There is insufficient workforce and capacity to meet the demands of an increasingly ageing population with multiple health issues with simply no resilience to cope with any excess strain.  

“The extra cases of winter viruses, such as COVID, flu and RSV, mean many hospitals will fall into critical incidents. There will be no elective recovery without emergency care recovery.  

“The two are dependent and need a coherent, co-ordinated approach that focuses on increasing capacity and workforce throughout the system.  

“Any plan that fails to do this is doomed; further increasing the misery of patients waiting prolonged periods for elective procedures and those experiencing appalling overcrowded conditions in emergency care.”

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/dec/02/cut-nhs-waiting-lists-keir-starmer