SAM president: NHS stuck in state of ‘permawinter’ (16 April)

Commenting on the latest NHS performance data released today (16 April), Dr Vicky Price, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “These figures suggest the NHS is now stuck in a state of ‘permawinter’, where pressures no longer ease as winter ends.

“We are heading into spring and summer with urgent care services still under sustained strain – bed occupancy remains high, flow through hospitals is fragile, and infection pressures such as norovirus remain well above seasonal norms.

“We welcome investment in urgent treatment centres and same day emergency care, which can help some patients avoid admission, but they cannot solve the underlying problem.

“Corridor care and extreme waits are symptoms of a system that does not have enough staffed beds or the discharge capacity to move patients through safely.

“We cannot escape the fact that there were 46,665 delays of 12 hours or more which means 1,505 patient per day experienced this situation. It is unacceptable.

“While it is positive that some hospitals are receiving additional support, there is a growing concern that attempts to ‘end’ corridor care risk simply moving patients into different temporary spaces rather than resolving the issue. 

“Expanding emergency departments or creating escalation areas does not remove risk – it can just disguise it, and any such measures will need careful scrutiny. Corridor care cannot be solved by camouflage.

“Until we address the fundamentals – workforce, inpatient capacity and social care – patients will continue to face unsafe delays and hospitals will remain under constant pressure, regardless of the season.”