‘448 beds needed to bring occupancy to safe levels’

In emergency care, providing more beds – which means more staff to care for those in the beds – would go a long way to alleviating pressure on Scotland’s A&Es, says Dr John-Paul Loughrey, vicepresident Scotland of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM).

He said “the system is failing” and hospitals are “dangerously overcrowded and do not have the space, staff, or resources to provide safe and timely care for the number of patients who need it”.

“There are simply not enough beds to meet demand and hospitals are routinely almost fit to burst, with patients enduring long, undignified waits and demoralised staff forced to deliver treatment in inappropriate areas, such as corridors and car parks,” he said.

“In December 2016, 79 patients in Scotland waited 12 hours before admission. Last December this figure was over 6,000, with vulnerable patients facing the brunt of these extended waits.”

The RCEM has calculated there will be an excess death for every one in 72 patients who spend between eight and 12 hours in an emergency department. Based on the numbers waiting more than eight hours in Scotland since the start of 2023, this would equate to up to 1,635 excess deaths.

“If the government is serious about improving the dire conditions currently experienced by the most critically ill in the country, they need to commit now to a sustainable, long-term plan. This means providing more beds – 448 beds across Scotland are needed to bring occupancy to ‘safe’ levels [85 per cent],” Dr Loughrey said.