Delivering safe care a 'challenge' in A&Es, doctor warns

Delivering safe care continues to be a challenge in every emergency department in Scotland, according to a senior A&E doctor.

As the service gears up for winter, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) is warning that the government's winter planning is not doing enough to support A&E departments as they approach their busiest time of year.

The warning comes after the figure for August's emergency department waiting times was the worst ever recorded for that month, with just under a third of patients waiting longer than four hours to be seen.

The government target that 95% of patients should be admitted, transferred or discharged from an emergency department within four hours has not been met since summer 2021.

Dr John Paul Loughrey, vice president for Scotland of the RCEM, told BBC Scotland News that the Scottish government’s plans for the NHS this winter would not improve the experience of staff or patients.

He accused the Scottish government of "continuing to disregard" the urgent need to keep patients moving through the hospital system to stop them getting stuck in A&E.

We are seeing lots of discussion, but we haven’t seen any useful measures so far that will make it any better for people working in A&Es this winter," he said.

Dr Loughrey added that every day recently had been like "the winter crisis of winters before, but every day".

"Sometimes giving safe care can be a challenge in every A&E in Scotland," he said.

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 3 October 2024