A&E crisis ‘far from being under control’

EMERGENCY hospital admissions have increased by almost a quarter over 10 years, the National Audit Office has revealed, as it warns the A&E crisis is out of control.

The admissions cost the NHS £13.7billion in 2015-16, while a quarter of the 5.8 million appointments in A&E departments in 2016-17 were considered avoidable by NHS England.

The report warned that while progress had been made to manage their impact on hospitals, the “challenge of managing emergency admissions was far from being under control”.

Sir Amyas Morse, NAO head, said overloaded A&E units were a “constant point of stress for patients and the NHS”.

The report estimates the real-term cost of emergency admissions has increased by 2.2 per cent since 2013-14, while emergency admissions increased by 7 per cent over the same period.

Overall emergency admissions grew by a quarter (24 per cent) from 2007-08 to 2016-17, and the report warned they pose a “serious challenge” to both the service and financial position of the NHS.

The rise in emergency admissions of people aged 65 and over accounted for more than a tenth (12 per cent) over the past four years.