Emphasis on unnecessary A&E attendances “a smokescreen” says SAM president (04 December)

Commenting on NHS England’s press release issued today which suggests emergency departments are “under siege from hiccups and ingrowing toenails”, Dr Vicky Price, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “Today’s emphasis on “unnecessary” A&E attendances risks becoming yet another “dead cat” distraction from the real pressures facing acute and emergency care. While encouraging people to use the right service matters, it is a smokescreen for the situation frontline teams are dealing with daily.

“So far this year, we have seen almost half a million waits of over 12 hours in emergency departments. Patients are spending extended periods in crowded waiting rooms or being boarded on wards in areas that offer little privacy or dignity. These delays are not caused by minor ailments but are a result of a failure to address the longstanding issues of capacity, flow and workforce.

“One of the biggest pressures on hospitals remains delayed discharges. Many patients who are medically fit to leave cannot do so because the necessary social-care packages, home-care support or community beds are simply unavailable. This prevents flow through hospitals and creates gridlock. 

“Another elephant in the room is the volume of mental health patients attending emergency departments, environments that are inappropriate to meet their needs and are a major contributor to stays of 24 hours or more.

“At the same time, workforce shortages mean proven models like Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) – designed to improve flow and reduce admissions – are frequently overstretched or repurposed to create extra bed space, undermining their effectiveness.

“As we have said consistently, we need a whole-system response focused on capacity, staffing and adequate community and social care provision to ensure safe, timely care.”