Nuffield Trust: Chain reaction? Understanding the causes of backlogs through urgent and emergency care (19 October 2023)

Summary

'Gridlock' of patients in urgent and emergency care is often attributed to a lack of onward capacity for people leaving hospital, leading to delayed discharges that back up the system. But does this explanation often favoured by government and policy makers tell the whole story? The Nuffield Trust's Quality Watch investigates whether the pattern is visible in patient journeys through urgent and emergency care at the integrated care system level.