‘More staff and tackling bed-blocking key to NHS’
STAFF at accident and emergency departments across Wales are finding it “impossible” to deliver high-quality care due to overcrowded wards and “relentless pressure”.
That’s the claim from the Welsh chairman of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM), Dr Robin Roop, who says A&E employees are at risk of burn-out unless current demand subsides.
He said Welsh emergency units need to increase staffing levels and tackle “bed-blocking” in a bid to improve their dwindling performance.
Wales’ A&Es suffered their worst monthly performance in history in March after just 76.3% of patients spent less than four hours in the units. It was down from 77.2% in February and the worst performance since at least August 2012 when the data was first published.
The Welsh Government wants 95% of patients to be seen, treated and discharged within a four-hour period.
At the other end of the scale, 4,387 people waited more than 12 hours from arrival to transfer, discharge or admission in March – substantially more than the 3,620 seen in February.
Dr Roop said: “It is now routine for many staff to arrive at work faced with congested and overcrowded departments in which it is impossible to deliver best care.
“Similarly many leave work, hours after their agreed finish time”
In response to March’s figures, the RCEM in Wales has launched a report which summarises the current state of emergency departments and emergency medicine in Wales.
The information is intended as an aid for politicians, health organisations and the public to understanding the emergency care system in Wales ahead of the Assembly elections.
The report states: “With 768,000 patients attending the 13 major emergency departments in Wales in 2015, the system is under great pressure.”
The report found that patients over 85 years old – the age group with the highest rate of chronic conditions – had the highest rate of A&E attendances per 1,000 population.
It also found that as many as 20% of the people in the emergency units did not need to be there and could be treated outside of a hospital setting.
As part of its four-step plan, the RCEM has urged the Welsh NHS to ensure it achieves “safe and sustainable staffing levels” and has “fair and effective” working conditions.
It also called for a reduction in delayed transfers of care, also known as bed or exit blocking, which occurs when patients cannot be moved due to of a lack of available beds.
The report also recommends that more primary care facilities are “colocated” within emergency departments to help with patient flow.