‘Warning signs about dangers of 12-hour waits present for far too long’ – SAM president (15 May)
Commenting on a report released today (15 May) by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine which shows there were more than 16,600 deaths associated with long A&E waits before admission in England last year, Dr Nick Murch, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “It is simply shocking to see such a large number of deaths associated with excess waits in emergency departments but, tragically, the warning signs have been present for far too long.
“As we have said continuously about the dire state of monthly 12-hour waiting figures, it signifies a profound failure within our healthcare system.
“We must ensure that 12-hour waits in emergency departments again become an infrequent exception rather than the norm and that will require urgent and adequate action on workforce and capacity issues which remain unresolved.”
More from SAM
More news, statements and updates from the Society for Acute Medicine.
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First national online pathway for headache care supports GPs and pharmacists with assessment, management and treatment
NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme has launched the first national online pathway and decision-making tool for the care of patients presenting with headache symptoms, supporting GPs and pharmacy colleagues to offer good headache management and care. GIRFT has worked with a large multidisciplinary group of expert clinicians to develop the interactive…
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1,450 patients a day experienced delays of over 12 hours last month – SAM statement (10 September)
Commenting on the release today of the latest NHS performance data, Dr Vicky Price, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “Today’s figures show that 44,951 patients waited more than 12 hours in emergency departments from decision to admit to admission in August, up 25.2% on last year. That means 1,450 patients a day…
Society for Acute Medicine
Setting the standard. Improving acute care.