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‘Increased pressure exposing fragile state’ – SAM president elect
In response to an enquiry from The i Paper regarding the latest industrial action and pressures on the NHS, Dr Vicky Price, president elect of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “With the healthcare system already in an extremely fragile state, increased pressure on urgent and emergency care is exposing this further amid an array…
Read More‘NHS crisis intensifying but has not reached peak’
Ahead of the latest industrial action by junior doctors, Dr Tim Cooksley, immediate past president of the Society for Acute Medicine, provided an update on the current situation across the NHS to The i Paper. “The sadly anticipated and entirely predictable winter crisis is intensifying but has not yet peaked,” he said. “This will cause…
Read More‘NHS crisis is only deepening’ – SAM past president
In response to an enquiry from The i Paper regarding pressures on ambulance services, Dr Tim Cooksley, immediate past president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “The large number of patients waiting over 12 hours in emergency departments reflects a lack of flow throughout hospitals which is at the centre of this issue. “Older…
Read More‘Urgent and emergency care services entering survival mode’ says SAM past president
The latest NHS performance data released today (14 December) shows, among other things: * 69.7% of patients were seen within 4 hours in all A&E departments this month compared to 70.2% in October 2023 and 69.0% in November 2022. The 95% standard was last met in July 2015. * There were 146,000 four-hour delays from…
Read More‘Warning of dangers of corridor care all year’ says SAM president-elect
Commenting in The Independent on an article regarding pressures on urgent and emergency care and the impact of corridor care, Dr Vicky Price, president-elect of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “Corridor care on trollies undoubtedly leads to uncomfortable periods of time for patients, lacking the privacy and dignity that they deserve and leading to…
Read More‘Reversing the spiral of decline is essential’
Dr Tim Cooksley, immediate past president of the Society for Acute Medicine, provides insight into the months ahead across the NHS and what action is required. “As we head into 2024, despite the rhetoric we are hearing from senior government and healthcare leaders about advanced winter preparations, the stark reality is the action required to…
Read More‘Deeper crisis this winter is simply unavoidable’ says SAM
Please find below a statement from the Society for Acute Medicine in relation to today’s press release (07 December) issued by NHS England. Dr Tim Cooksley, immediate past president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “This trajectory is not unexpected but the reality is that recovery plans for the NHS are well behind schedule…
Read More‘Alarming the health secretary does not recognise current NHS crisis’ – SAM past president
In response to an interview with health secretary Victoria Atkins on BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, Dr Tim Cooksley, immediate past president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “It was pleasing to hear Victoria Atkins affirm that she is prioritising supporting the winter crisis; but alarming that she does not recognise it as already…
Read More‘Share concerns about failure to prioritise health and social care spending‘ – SAM past president
Commenting on an analysis of the healthcare budget in the autumn statement carried out by the Liberal Democrats, Dr Tim Cooksley, immediate past president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “We share the concerns of Sarah Olney regarding the failure to prioritise health and social care spending in the autumn statement. “By not prioritising…
Read More‘Right Place, Right Care report a clear indication of the root causes of NHS crisis’ says SAM
The Society for Acute Medicine contributed to the Right Place, Right Care report published by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine on Tuesday, 21 November. The report highlights that lessons must be learned from the emergency care crisis in 2022 and concludes that “too many patients are in the wrong place for their needs”. The report makes…
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