Friday 13 September 2024
‘Seasons Greetings’ RCEM tells MPs as A&Es hit by ‘winter demand’ all year round.
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) has delivered festive cards to Downing Street to draw attention to the ‘eternal winter’ facing A&E departments across the country.
The news comes as data from NHS England shows Emergency Departments are facing higher levels of demand in July this year than in previous winters.
In July 119,409 people stayed in A&Es in England for more than 12 hours, nearly 20% more than in December 2021 (100,836).
The campaign aims to illustrate the level of demand on emergency clinicians and the resulting risks to patient care.
The letters, posted by hand to Downing Street last week read: “Winter is coming.
“Yet waiting times this summer have been akin to those of Winter 2021.
“In A&Es, 1 in 10 are waiting 12 hours or more. We would like to discuss the pressures your A&E is facing.
“We at The Royal College of Emergency Medicine can work with you to help avoid another seasonal crisis.
“Together we can #ResuscitateEmergencyCare.”
Dr Adrian Boyle, President of The Royal College of Emergency Medicine said: “We hope this campaign will remind MPs that for those working in Emergency Care, there is now no such thing as a ‘Winter Crisis’ as we once knew. Emergency Departments, due to a lack of available beds and an inability to safely discharge people due to a lack of appropriate social care options – are dangerously overcrowded all year round.
“This is not only pushing staff to their physical and emotional limits, it has serious safety implications for the public. Long waits in A&E are dangerous, and disproportionately affect the most vulnerable in our society – elderly and those with mental health concerns.
“Those with the power to help turn the tide on this awful reality for so many must do so now. Only then can the people of this country receive the healthcare they need.”
