House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts Report: Emergency Admissions to Hospital (BBC News / Public Accounts Committee / Healthwatch England / NHS Confederation’s Urgent and Emergency Care Forum)

Summary

A recent House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts report examines the increasing demand for A&E services, in the context of budgets under pressure and a shortage of specialist A&E consultants. It also investigates slow progress on introducing out of hours consultant cover, and insufficient performance quality data impairing the development and improvement of A&E services.

Committee members assert that neither the Department of Health nor NHS England has a strategy to tackle these shortages and shortfalls. NHS England retorts that plans to reform emergency and urgent care were published in late 2013, and will include setting-up a two-tier A&E system, plus clearer information for users about when to access other services such as pharmacies, walk-in centres and NHS 111.

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Reference

House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts (2014). Emergency admissions to hospital. Forty-sixth Report of Session 2013–14. Report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence. Ordered by the House of Commons. London: The Stationery Office Limited (House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts), March 4^th 2014. Reference No. HC 885.

Possibly also of interest, a BBC News commentary summarising the results of a poll on these broad topics, from Healthwatch England:

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Reference

Triggle, N. (2014). One-fifth of patients ‘admit to misusing A&E units’. London: BBC Health News, March 4^th 2014.

Whole-System Approach for Urgent and Emergency Care (NHS Confederation)

The NHS Confederation / Urgent and Emergency Care Forum has published a report recommending a fully joined-up approach whole-systems approach to solutions for the urgent and emergency care crisis.

“This report acts as a roadmap to the fundamental changes required to create a sustainable and high-quality urgent and emergency care system that can meet the needs of patients now and in the future”.

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Reference

Ripping off the sticking plaster: whole-system solutions for urgent and emergency care. London: NHS Confederation’s Urgent and Emergency Care Forum, March 2014.

More News Coverage on Targets / Target Culture

Recent BBC News commentaries:

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Reference

Triggle, N. (2014). Two thirds of A&Es ‘miss winter wait time target’. London: BBC Health News, March 28^th 2014.

and:

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Reference

Triggle, N. (2014). Did the NHS get lucky this winter? London: BBC Health News, March 29^th 2014.

Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Health, talking at Royal Surrey County Hospital, mentioned waiting times, increasing pressures on the NHS and the danger of focusing on targets.

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Reference

NHS waiting times: job not done. London: Department of Health, August 4^th 2014.