Thursday 12 September 2024
Members’ experiences and views about the challenges they face in the NHS were represented as part of the College’s submission to the national Darzi review, which was published today, Thursday.
Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, announced the rapid ‘diagnostic review’ on 11 July 2024 and appointed Professor Ara Darzi, a surgeon and Labour’s former Health Minister, to lead the investigation. The findings, which will be released today (12 September 2024), will feed into the government’s 10-year plan to reform the NHS.
The President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Dr Adrian Boyle, attended two roundtables on behalf of the College to offer expert insight into the issues facing emergency care. We were also invited to submit evidence slides which detailed the urgent issues facing emergency medicine, with particular focus on excessive long waits in A&Es and dangerous crowding, which are associated with patient harm and an increased risk of mortality.
In 2023, more than 1.5 million patients waited 12 hours or more in EDs, with 65% awaiting admission into a bed. In 2024 so far, more than a quarter (28.5%) of patients waiting 12 hours or more went on to wait 24 hours or more.
Our submitted evidence also contained data around the two groups who are disproportionately impacted by long waits in Emergency Departments: the elderly and those attending for mental illness.
The review is a step towards transparency, and we look forward to working with policy makers to #resusitateemergencycare.
You can read our submission here.
