Policy Statements
Corridor care concerns “raised consistently” but problems have worsened, says SAM president (17 January)
Commenting on the Royal College of Nursing’s On the Frontline of the UK’s Corridor Care Crisis report for a piece in The BMJ (17 January), Dr Nick Murch, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, which represents healthcare staff working in acute medicine across the UK, said: “The issue of corridor care is one we…
Read MoreElective recovery plan “hollow and ill-fated” for failing to acknowledge role of social care and urgent and emergency care (06 January)
Commenting on the NHS elective recovery plan announced officially today by the Prime Minister, Dr Tim Cooksley, immediate past president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “The aim to reduce elective waiting times and the more innovative aspects of the plan are welcome. “However, in the middle of a winter of discontent this is hollow…
Read MoreMoral injury in acute medicine (07 Aug)
Recently I had to have a few minutes in my office to regroup after I’d seen a patient. I didn’t quite know how to process my feelings. I was feeling ashamed and upset. My patient had been in our waiting room for over 18 hours. He was a bilateral amputee and a wheelchair user. His…
Read MoreSAM SDEC Position Statement May 2024
Same Day Emergency Care: A need to pause and Reset! The recommendations in this statement aim to reinforce and complement the recent joint guidance from Society for Acute Medicine (SAM) and Royal College of Emergency Medicine2 explicitly acknowledging these principles, outlining what medical SDEC is and, as importantly, isn’t. To view the recommendations see below
Read MoreJoint statement from RCEM and SAM re Same Day Emergency Care
This statement is a follow up to the joint statement issued in 2019 by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) and the Society for Acute Medicine (SAM) regarding the delivery of same day emergency care (SDEC) in England following the launch of the 2019 Long Term Plan for the NHS in England. Please see statement below
Read MoreSAM and Royal College of Physicians launch updated toolkit for acute oncology
The Royal College of Physicians, in collaboration with the Society for Acute Medicine (SAM), has launched a new toolkit entitled Acute oncology on the acute medical unit. It aims to support acute and general medical clinicians caring for patients with cancer who have been admitted to acute care. The toolkit outlines key presentations, pathways and…
Read More‘Missing an admission the whole system is broken’ – SAM past president on government plan
Commenting on health secretary Therese Coffey’s statement in the House of Commons and the release today of the government’s Our Plan for Patients, Dr Nick Scriven, past president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “Our concerns remain ever-present despite the health secretary’s outline of the government’s Plan for Patients today. “As usual we have…
Read MoreBed occupancy well above 90% “dangerous” – SAM past president
Dr Nick Scriven, immediate past president of the Society for Acute Medicine, comments on current NHS pressures, the challenges being faced by staff and actions required to tackle some of the underlying issues across the system. He said: “Across our hospitals staff are facing pressures much like those seen in mid-winter, with bed occupancy levels…
Read MoreSAM and Royal College of Physicians publish end-of-life care resource for hospital doctors
The Royal College of Physicians has produced a resource in collaboration with the Society for Acute Medicine to support hospital doctors in improving the care and choices provided to people at the end of their life. The End-of-life care in the acute care setting resource aims to help hospital doctors identify those patients who are in their…
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