SAM welcomes publication of model emergency department guidance (9 February)

Commenting on the release today (Monday, 9 February) of NHS England’s Model Emergency Department guidance alongside new standards for care in the first 72 hours of hospital admission, Dr Vicky Price, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, and Dr Nick Murch, immediate past president, said:

“The Society for Acute Medicine welcomes the publication of NHS England’s Model Emergency Department guidance alongside the new standards for care in the first 72 hours of hospital admission.

“Together, these documents set out a clear, clinically credible blueprint for improving patient flow, reducing crowding and delivering safer, more timely care.

“The emphasis on early senior clinical decision-making at the front door, followed by continuity of expert-led care in acute receiving areas, strongly reflects core acute medicine principles.

“Acute Medicine services, including Same Day Emergency Care are central to making this work, enabling rapid assessment, avoiding unnecessary admission and supporting discharge to a patient’s preferred place of care.

“Crucially, these standards recognise that emergency department performance cannot be fixed in isolation. Improving outcomes for patients depends on whole-hospital and whole-system ownership of flow across the first 72 hours, with adequate staffing, diagnostics and community support seven days a week.

“SAM strongly supports this joined-up approach as essential to eliminating corridor care and reducing harm for our most vulnerable patients.”