Policy Publications

Policy Publications

In providing policy publications, we aim to place Emergency Medicine at the heart of health policy by publishing reports and briefings. We respond to policy consultations to ensure our recommendations reach key policymakers.

Reports & Position Statements
Acute Insight Series
Briefings & Letters
Consultation Responses

Reports and position statements

RCEM & College of Paramedics Joint Statement: Ambulance Handover Delays – Options Appraisal to Reduce Harm (August 2024)
RCEM Explains: Long waits and excess deaths (April 2024)
RCEM Explains: Progress Against Delivery Plan – one year on (April 2024)
RCEM Wales: Wales’ Emergency Medicine Workforce Census (January 2023)
Tip of the Iceberg: 12 Hour Stays in the Emergency Department (June 2022)
Retain, Recruit, Recover: Our Call for Action to Improve the Urgent and Emergency Care System (12 July 2021)
Our report examining the Emergency Department workforce.
Scotland’s Emergency Medicine Workforce Census (5 July 2021)
RCEM’s first of it’s kind census of every Emergency Department in Scotland.
RCEM PPE ethnic minorities and risk in EDs during the pandemic (January 2021)
A report examining PPE, ethnic minorities and occupational risk EDs during the coronavirus pandemic.
RCEM Statement on vaccine hesitancy (March 2021)
A position statement on vaccine hesitancy
RCEM Position Statement ‘COVID-19: Resetting Emergency Department Care’
RCEM’s position statement on resetting care proposes key recommendations to ensure patient safety and high quality emergency care.

RCEM Acute Insight Series

RCEM Acute Insight Series: Emergency Medicine Workforce in England (June 2023)
RCEM Acute Insight Series: Mental Health Emergency Care (September 2022)
RCEM Acute Insight Series: Beds in the NHS (May 2022)
RCEM Acute Insight Series: Crowding and its Consequences (November 2021)
RCEM Acute Insight Series: What’s Behind the Increase in Demand in Emergency Departments? (August 2021)

Briefings and letters

RCEM Ministerial Briefing (June 2025)
Road to Recovery – Urgent ad Emergency Care and the Elective Backlog: The Cost of Inaction (February 2025)
RCEM Briefing: Crowding in Scottish ED’s (June 2024)
RCEM Briefing: Current performance of the NHS and innovation in the health service (June 2023)
RCEM Explains: Hospital beds across the UK (May 2023)
RCEM Briefing: Oral questions in the House of Lords: Prime Minister’s pledge to strengthen the NHS (May 2023)
Summary of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine’s Emergency Care Crisis Summit (March 2023)
RCEM Explains: Crisis Summit Briefing Document (March 2023)
RCEM Briefing: NHS Recovery Forum (January 2023)
Letter to Office for Stats Regulation about 12 hour data from time of arrival (June 2022)
Letter to Amanda Pritchard about 12 hour data from time of arrival (May 2022)
RCEM Explains: 12 hour Performance Briefing for Policymakers (10 March 2022)
Summer to Recover: Winter-proofing Urgent and Emergency Care for 2021 (20 April 2021)
Our campaign sets out a series of targeted recommendations to ensure the UEC system is winter-proofed.
Summer to Recover: Guide for Clinical Leads (30 April 2021)
The guidance document outlines a series of practical actions for Clinical Leads and Emergency Department senior leadership teams to support recovery.
RCEM Explains: Hospital Beds (28 June 2021)
This parliamentary briefing explains the trends in hospital bed numbers over the past decade. It should be used to inform discussions of NHS capacity and waiting lists.
Letter to the Chancellor regarding the Spring Budget 2021 (March 2021)
Joint letter to Foreign Secretary 2021: UN Political Declaration (1 March 2021)
RCEM CARES: Spotlight on: Access Joint letter to Trust CEOs with RCP and SAM
A joint letter to trust CEOs with RCP and SAM to improve medical pathways for acute care.
RCEM CARES: Spotlight on: Access – Letter to Policymakers (England)
A briefing examining access to urgent and emergency care services.
RCEM CARES: Retention – Policymaker Brief for MPs (England) (February 2021)
A policy briefing on the recruitment and retention of staff working in Emergency Departments.
RCEM Explains: Emergency Medicine Workforce

Consultation responses

RCEM response to Scottish Health, Sport and Social Care committee inquiry into NHS winter planning. (July 2023)
Proposal for Health & Social Care Select Committee Prevention Inquiry (February 2023)
Topical Session on A&E – Health and Social Care Select Committee (January 2023)
RCEM response to House of Lords Public Services Inquiry on Emergency Services (November 2022)
RCEM submission to AOMRC report on the Crisis in the NHS (April 2022)
RCEM submission to the Public Accounts Committee on Backlogs in the NHS Inquiry (December 2021)
RCEM response to the Health and Social Care Select Committee Inquiry on Clearing the Backlog (August 2021)
RCEM response to the NHS England Clinical Review of Standards Consultation (February 2021)

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