‘Challenging winter could place further strain on NHS’s beds’
A CHALLENGING winter could place further strain on already busy hospitals struggling to find beds for patients, the health regulator has warned.
Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS Improvement, said NHS trusts in England must “focus hard” on the bed situation, and stressed more needs to be done “urgently”.
But despite a forecasted deficit of £523m, some £27m more than the planned £496m overspend, he said trusts have made a “strong start” to the financial year.
“We need to focus hard on the bed situation. Our hospitals are very busy already, and it’s still relatively early in the year,” Mr Mackey said.
“Last winter we ended up opening over 4,500 beds at the busiest times, mostly in an unplanned and unproductive manner.
“Winter planning is progressing well, under Pauline Philip’s leadership, but more needs to be done urgently to address the occupancy situation, in sufficient time for a more planned approach to this coming winter, and to maintain the standards we are all aiming for.”
The quarterly report states extremely high levels of bed occupancy continue to affect trusts’ ability to admit patients who require planned care, and the ability to care for patients in a timely manner.
It highlights how the bed occupancy increase is in part a “result of increased emergency pressure”.
Figures reveal that between April and June there was a 3.8 per cent increase in emergency admissions via A&E, compared to the same period last year.
A&E attendances also rose by 2.9 per cent during that time frame, according to the report.
The data shows some trusts are still having issues with discharging medically fit people.
In June, 55 per cent of delayed transfers of care were caused the NHS and 38 per cent by social care - the lowest and highest respectively since records began in 2010.