‘Patients are dying in Welsh hospitals due to delays and overcrowding’
PATIENTS in Welsh hospitals are dying because of overcrowding and delays, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine has said.
Latest Welsh NHS performance data published yesterday shows that the nation’s health services are continuing to struggle with A&E waiting times and ambulance response times the worst ever recorded.
Nearly 10,000 patients had to wait more than 12 hours in Wales A&ES over the last month and only half of emergency red ambulance calls were responded to in the target of eight minutes.
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine said that 709 patients who stayed in an emergency department for eight to 12 hours in Wales had died as a result of crowding and long stays this year.
Vice President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine Wales Dr Suresh Pillai said: “Crowding and long stays in emergency departments have always been dangerous and posed a threat to patient safety and we have consistently expressed our concern about these unconscionable practices.
“But now we can see in real terms the avoidable harm long waits cause patients. 709 patients in Wales, in 2021 alone, have died as a direct result of crowding and long stays.
“These deaths were preventable; the government, Boards and NHS leaders must understand and act now to ensure that the current crisis does not deepen and lead to more avoidable excess deaths.”
Welsh Government data released today also shows the amount of patients waiting more than four hours for emergency care has deteriorated for the seventh consecutive month.
The latest figures also show 12-hour waits have risen for the sixth consecutive month and eight-hour waits have reached the highest on record. The latest statistics show:
although average daily attendances at emergency departments decreased in October, performance against both the four and 12-hour targets were the worst on record;
the average time spent in emergency departments also reached a new record high at three hours and seven minutes;
the number of people waiting for scheduled care treatment continues to increase, with average waiting times to start treatment above pre-pandemic levels;
9,419 patients waited 12 hours or more in major emergency departments;
15,825 patients, the equivalent of one in four, waited eight hours or more;
an average of 132 immediately lifethreatening (red) calls were made each day to the ambulance service; and
in terms of ambulance response times, performance against the eight minute response target was the lowest on record at 50% – down from 52.3% last month.
Dr Pillai said: “The findings of the Royal College’s report into crowding and patient harm are appalling.
“The data once again shows a worrying further deterioration in performance.
“The urgent and emergency care system in Wales is facing a crisis and we are only just entering winter.
“Patient safety is at risk. We must do all we can to ensure that we continue to provide effective and safe urgent and emergency care.
“In the short-term, boards must expand capacity where possible and focus on promoting flow throughout the hospital.
“This is vital to reducing ambulance handover delays, exit block and dangerous crowding.
“For flow to be maintained, patients must be discharged in a timely way once their treatment is complete.
“Social care must be resourced to support patients leaving hospital on time. This will help reduce long-stay patients, and care in the community will prevent further visits to the emergency department.
“In the longer term, the Welsh Government must restore bed capacity to pre-pandemic levels, in Wales an additional 450 to 550 staffed beds are required.
“The government must publish a long-term workforce plan that includes actions to retain existing staff as well as recruit new staff.
“Currently in Wales there is a shortfall of 100 emergency medicine consultants, along with vital emergency medicine nurses, junior and supporting staff.”
Darren Hughes, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, said of the latest data: “The NHS in Wales is currently facing unsustainable pressures, from all angles – problems facing social care, the ongoing impact of Covid-19, increasing demand for urgent and emergency care, as well as primary care, staff shortages and, of course, the backlog of treatment.
“These statistics show the unrelenting
high levels of demand the ambulance service and emergency departments are facing, with October seeing the highest number of immediately lifethreatening (red) calls made to the ambulance service since records began.
“We welcome the Welsh Government’s announcement of investment in diagnostic equipment, but without addressing staffing problems and wider system issues at play, there is only so much the NHS can do to address waiting times.
“It’s critical that funding and resources are focused on alleviating pressures facing the social care sector to assist in reducing the bottleneck, ensuring medically fit patients can safely be discharged into the community, freeing up muchneeded capacity in the NHS.
“However, we need to be honest with the public that winter is going to be extremely difficult.
“The whole system is working together to find solutions to solve the problems, improve patient flow, manage high demand and keep people out of hospital where possible, but the pressure on the system is higher than at any other point during the pandemic.
“NHS leaders are very mindful that behind these statistics are people, both patients and the staff who are working day-in, day-out to do all they can to keep patients safe. “We cannot thank them enough.” A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “The latest data shows pressure on our health and care system continues to grow.
“But our hardworking health and social care staff continue to deliver high quality care when people need it.
“It is encouraging the number of patients newly diagnosed with cancer starting their first definitive treatment and the number of patients informed they did not have cancer have both increased on the previous month.
“In a boost to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, the health minister today announced more than £51m is to be invested in replacing ageing diagnostic imaging equipment across NHS Wales.
“This will significantly improve image quality, often resulting in earlier and more accurate diagnosis.
“We have invested an extra £248m this year to transform the delivery of services and tackle waiting times, but because of the ongoing pressures and effects of the pandemic we don’t expect to see real progress before the spring.
“The ambulance service in Wales, like the rest of the UK, continues to be under great strain.
“The number of red calls, which are classed as life-threatening, in October were the highest ever on record. The number of calls in October were also 24% higher than October last year.
“Earlier this year we provided an additional £25m to go towards supporting the transformation of urgent and emergency care services to deliver the right care in the right place, first time.
“The ambulance service have also received funding for the recruitment of the equivalent of 120 staff.
“We encourage people to consider the best options for care, and not necessarily head to their local emergency department.
“To get the right care, first time, people can also use the online 111 service and their local pharmacist where appropriate.”