Press

04 April 2021 Senior medics have said “red flags” are showing in hospitals as non-Covid emergency attendances rise amid pressures to resume non-urgent services – all while capacity remains tight with Covid infection control measures in place. The Society for Acute Medicine (SAM) said some emergency departments had experienced their busiest days in two years during…

03 March 2021 Following today’s Budget delivered by Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Dr Susan Crossland, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “While we can only hope there is more focus on the investment needed in the NHS to come in the small print and into the future, it is extremely demoralising to see barely…

Following the release today (11 February) of the latest NHS performance data, Dr Nick Scriven, immediate past president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “This data really hits home what shape the NHS is in and how long the road to recovery is going to be. “A&E figures show the worst 12-hour performance since…

Following a message of thanks to NHS staff delivered by NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens ahead of a visit today to Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary, Dr Nick Scriven, immediate past president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “Although this message of thanks is appreciated, what is more important at this point is to…

Following the release today of the latest NHS performance data (14 January), Dr Nick Scriven, immediate past president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “This data shows exactly how dire things are with millions of people waiting to start hospital treatment and 330,000 people waiting more than six weeks for key diagnostic tests, so…

A senior doctor has warned of his concern for the welfare of staff on medical wards who are dealing with increasing numbers of Covid-19 patients (07 January). Dr Nick Scriven, immediate past president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said up to 90 per cent of the 30,074 Covid patients now in UK hospitals were…

A senior medic has warned it is now a “race against time” to vaccinate vulnerable people and healthcare staff before the third Covid wave hits the North. Dr Nick Scriven, immediate past president of the Society for Acute Medicine, also said things could get “dire quickly” once a “fraction of the normal winter pressures” are…

The Royal College of Physicians today (4 Jan) announced the death from COVID-19 of its Registrar, Professor Donal O’Donoghue. Donal was a staunch supporter of acute medicine and a friend of the Society for Acute Medicine. He opened our last face-to-face conference in Harrogate and was always a voice of common sense and good reasoning…

As pressure continues to rise across the NHS, Dr Nick Scriven, immediate past president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said in a statement today (28 December): “The current situation is extremely worrying as the numbers of Covid patients are increasing rapidly at the time of year when things are always ‘tight’.  “With the numbers…

As pressures on the NHS continue to rise heading into the festive break, Dr Nick Scriven, immediate past president of the Society for Acute Medicine, discussed his concerns: “Speaking in terms of the picture in north of England, the numbers of patients with Covid are starting to fall but we are seeing a rise to…