System needs a radical re-think
HEAD of the Royal College for Emergency Medicine in Scotland Dr David Chung believes radical steps need to be taken to ensure patients get treated quickly.
And his charter for improvement would include: An end to NHS trusts not sharing good practice. Giving consideration to renationalising social care. Better remuneration packages for medical staff to allow Scotland to compete in the global market. Childcare for nurses and doctors, which could help end the workforce crisis. A re-examination of the decision to axe beds.
Chung said: “We have some great examples in Scotland of health care and social care but it is a postcode lottery.
“We need to look at where is performing well and send people to look at how they are doing it and ask why others can’t do it.”
Figures released on Tuesday showed almost 47,000 bed days were lost to delayed discharge in August alone.
A&E waiting times – which haven’t met the standard for more than two years – are at the worst level for seven months.
Since July, the four-hour target has been breached 37, 341 times with 3484 people spending eight hours or more in A&E and 836 waiting more than 12 hours.
The number of acute hospital beds has fallen sharply in recent years. Chung said: “If we reduce beds in hospitals, we need to increase the capacity in the community. But I’m now asking, where’s the evidence that we have increased the capacity?
“You hear all the time people saying, ‘You are in the best place now’ but actually you might not be in the best place. You may be better at home being seen by a physio or an occupational therapist.
“Evidence shows if we are able to keep people at home, they live longer, independent lives.
“In Scotland, we have some of the best emergency departments in the world. We are close to being the Finland of emergency medicine as we are that good at everything. But we are not quite there yet because of the capacity issues.”
Labour’s health spokeswoman Monica Lennon said: “Dr David Chung is a credible figure who is raising very serious concerns and the Health Secretary must listen.
“If our hospitals are struggling to cope in the summer and patients are being left on trolleys, we could be facing a winter crisis.
“I feel for NHS staff who are doing their best but getting very little help in return.
“After 12 years in power, the SNP has failed miserably to build the NHS workforce that Scotland needs and a radical re-think is needed.”