‘Elective recovery plan will fail without urgent and emergency care recovery’ – SAM past president (03 January)

Commenting in The Guardian (03 January) ahead of the Prime Minister’s elective recovery programme launch next week, Dr Tim Cooksley, immediate past president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “The innovative elements of the elective recovery plan are welcome. Direct access to services, reducing bureaucracy and streamlining processes are key implementations for NHS recovery.

“Increased patient education and prevention strategies alongside these to build on existing programmes are pertinent.

“However, the grave concern is that this fails to recognise that without emergency care recovery this elective plan will inevitability and predictably fail. 

“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, such as winter viruses.

“Hospitals are already bursting at the seams. The concept of continuing to ring-fence elective beds whilst patients are dying receiving degrading corridor in emergency care is immoral and deluded.

“A coherent, co-ordinated whole-system approach, including social care, that focuses on increasing capacity and workforce is essential. Without this, there will continued disappointments, suffering and cancellations for patients awaiting elective care and distressing, delayed care for those needing emergency care.”

www.independent.co.uk/news/health/hospital-test-scan-gp-nhs-wait-b2673511.html