SAM president says 55,000 12-hour delays “deeply concerning” ahead of winter months (13 November)

Commenting on the release today (13 November) of the latest NHS performance data, Dr Vicky Price, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “The latest performance data highlights the strain on the NHS, with patients enduring prolonged waits for assessment and care, beds full and staff exhausted – and this is before we hit the winter months.

“It is deeply concerning that almost 55,000 people faced delays of over 12 hours in emergency departments last month – 1,752 a day – which is an increase of 9.5% on last year and a 10,000 increase on the previous month.

“These will be vulnerable people receiving corridor care which was once the exception but is now an accepted norm. It is distressing, dangerous and continues to cause serious and avoidable harm.

“It is the visible symptom of a system under severe pressure and it will not end until the underlying causes are addressed – resolving workforce and capacity issues, improving hospital flow and increasing social care provision.

“We have warned repeatedly the NHS is in a state of national emergency and that remains the case, yet we are now a month closer to winter with things continuing to worsen – and little to no action on any of the critical problems outlined.

“The political manoeuvring we are seeing now reflects an awareness that this winter will be catastrophic for the NHS. The reality is that such crises have consequences far beyond politics. 

“Whatever the motivations behind the current positioning, they do nothing to mitigate the dangers ahead for staff and patients alike.”