Position Statements
Statement on the impact of extreme heat on healthcare services in the UK (14 August)
The UK is currently gripped by its fifth heatwave of the year. At time of writing, all of England is subject to an amber heat health alert, meaning ‘significant impact is likely across health and social care’. Drought is declared across the country, and devastating fires threaten both lives and infrastructure. We are all feeling…
Read More‘Performance data should bring sharp focus to the new Prime Minister’s first weeks’ – SAM president-elect (13 August)
Commenting on the latest NHS performance data released today (13 August), Dr Ragit Varia, president-elect of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “From permawinter to permaheat, there is no longer a quiet season for the NHS. Month after month, patients are left waiting far too long in overcrowded emergency departments, corridors and other unsuitable spaces.…
Read More“Unbearable conditions” for patients and staff as 12-hours waits rise by 28% (09 July)
Commenting on the latest NHS performance data released today, Dr Vicky Price, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “Today’s figures, including 49,466 patients waiting more than 12 hours from the decision to admit to admission – up 28% on last year – show that urgent and emergency care is under severe and sustained…
Read More‘Underlying problems remain unresolved’ – SAM president (11 June)
Commenting on the latest NHS performance data published today (11 June), Dr Vicky Price, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “Just days after new analysis highlighted the devastating toll associated with long waits in emergency departments, today’s figures show that the underlying problems remain unresolved, with 50,212 patients waiting more than 12 hours…
Read More‘AI must be implemented within a safe, transparent and trusted framework’ – SAM president-elect (09 June)
Dr Ragit Varia, president-elect of the Society for Acute Medicine, commented in The Guardian on the Medical Protection Society’s (MPS) call for the Government to address the “widening gulf” between the law and the rapidly evolving use of AI in healthcare. He said: “Artificial intelligence has enormous potential to support clinicians, improve patient flow and…
Read MoreLong wait death figures “a source of national shame” – SAM president (08 June)
Please find below statement from the Society for Acute Medicine relating to Royal College of Emergency Medicine analysis which shows the estimated number of deaths linked to long waits in Emergency Departments across England has surged almost tenfold over the past decade. Dr Vicky Price, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “These figures are…
Read MoreHospice funding must be recognised as a patient flow and hospital safety issue, says Society for Acute Medicine (04 June)
The Society for Acute Medicine (SAM) has backed calls for immediate and sustainable funding for hospices, warning that pressures on palliative and community services are increasingly being felt across acute hospitals. SAM president Dr Vicky Price joined MPs, peers and representatives from across the health and care sector this week in delivering a letter to 10…
Read MoreSAM Position Statement – Clarifying the difference between EEMAC and Medical SDEC
Corridor care being “disguised rather than resolved” – SAM president (14 May)
Commenting on the latest NHS performance data released today (14 May), Dr Vicky Price, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “Although there is a desire centrally to show progress on corridor care, the reality on the ground among clinicians is that, in many areas, the problem is being disguised rather than resolved. “SAM…
Read More‘Good performance should not simply mean lower admission rates’ – SAM president (13 May)
Commenting in the HSJ on analysis which shows around 15 per cent of emergency admissions at some trusts are potentially avoidable, Dr Vicky Price, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “Variation in potentially avoidable admissions between trusts is likely to reflect a combination of factors, including local access to alternatives such as same…
Read More