How We Influence Health Policy

How We Influence Health Policy

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine’s vision is to ensure the specialty of Emergency Medicine can deliver truly high-quality patient-centred care for all. One way we do this is by influencing Governments, NHS England and devolved equivalents, and other relevant stakeholders to ensure the pressures facing the urgent and emergency care system remain on top of the health policy agenda.

We understand the intense nature of operational demands faced by Emergency Medicine clinicians across the UK. The policy team aims to provide solutions to the problems facing the specialty by generating compelling evidence, analysis, and campaigns to press for lasting change for our members, and consequently, our patients. Our members are at the heart of our policy work and we gather their views through our census work, regular surveys, and through our Regional Boards and Committees.

Our Five Priorities to Resuscitate Emergency Care outlines a clear set of changes that UK Governments should enact. Representing our strategic policy goals, they form the basis of our policy influencing work over the next three years:

1. Eradicate overcrowding and corridor care for patients
2. Provide the UK with the Emergency Medicine workforce it needs to deliver safe care
3. Ensure our NHS can provide equitable care to emergency patients
4. Focus on evidence-based interventions to tackle overcrowding
5. Introduce meaningful and transparent metrics to facilitate performance and better outcomes for patients.

You can find out more about what we are currently working on by looking at our press and media page, policy publications and dispatches blog.

For more information about our policy and influencing work, contact policy@rcem.ac.uk