Only 1 in 7 high-risk patients see consultant

ONLY one in seven patients arriving at A&E with a risky condition is seen by a consultant doctor, a major audit has found.

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine last night warned that hospitals were ‘stretched to their very limits’ – with patient safety suffering as a result.

The audit, which tracked 24,000 patients at 180 NHS hos- pitals across the UK, found that only 14 per cent of ‘high-risk’ patients are seen by a fully qualified consultant.

The audit focused on four risky conditions which their guidelines say should always involve a consultant review – babies under the age of 12 months with a fever, adults over the age of 30 with chest pain, over-70s with abdominal pain, and anyone returning to A&E within 72 hours of discharge. At the worst hospitals, 0 per cent of feverish infants saw a consultant, and only 5 per cent of those with chest pains, 4 per cent for abdominal pain and 6 per cent for returning patients.

College president Dr Taj Hassan said last night: ‘Safety is compromised, both for our patients and our juniors who care for them.’