‘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…
Read More‘Chaotic and dangerous spiral of decline in NHS gravely concerning’ warns immediate past president
The latest NHS performance data, released today (09 November), shows among other things: * 70.2% of patients were seen within four hours in all A&E departments last month compared to 71.6% in September 2023 and 69.5% in October 2022. The 95% standard was last met in July 2015. * 69.7% of patients were seen within…
Read MoreProvision of acute oncology services in the UK: data from the Society for Acute Medicine Benchmarking Audit 2022 (SAMBA22)
Acute oncology services (AOS) manage acute cancer-related presentations alongside acute medical teams. This study assessed AOS provision against national peer review measures and the burden of acute cancer-related admissions. The 2022 Society for Acute Medicine Benchmarking Audit surveyed UK hospitals, collecting hospital-level and patient-level data for all medical admissions over a 24-h period. Logistic regression…
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…
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