NHS Celebrates Success And Progress In A&E, England

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 20 May 2009 - 4:00 PDT

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New figures published show A&E departments in England have met the operational standard for 98% of patients to be treated within four hours of arrival at A&E over the last year.

Although the number of patients attending A&E continued to increase last year with 19.6 million visits recorded across England, NHS staff have continued to deliver the same excellent standards of care with almost all of these seen, diagnosed and treated within four hours of arriving at A&E departments.

"This is a tremendous achievement by NHS staff who continue to deliver fast, safe, high quality care to a growing number of A&E patients, especially given that thiHealth Minister Ben Bradshaw said: Winter was the most challenging for years.

"Patients tell us the time spent in A&E matters to them, which is why A&E waiting times continue to be a priority. Nurses have told me how ambulance staff used to queue out of the door with patients on trolleys before the four-hour standard was introduced.

"Thanks to the hard work of NHS staff the waiting experience for millions of patients in A&E has dramatically improved - especially when we consider that, before the target was introduced, almost a quarter of patients spent more than four hours in A&E."

Whilst dealing with seasonal flu and the worst weather conditions in recent years, the NHS has still achieved it's best recorded performance in winter, with 97.7% of patients treated within four hours of arrival at A&E from January to March. Although this is just short of the operational standard it shows that winter preparations across the NHS are bringing real improvements to patients' experiences.

This achievement is the result of sustained investment and innovation within A&E departments. There are now over 1,800 extra staff working in emergency care across England including an additional 749 consultants. At the same time, the NHS has more than doubled the amount of money spent on A&E services from £750m in 1997/98 to £1,732m in 2007/08. This increase in investment has been supported by the introduction of new ways for patients to access emergency care such as Urgent Care Centres, Walk-in Centres and Minor Injuries Clinics, bringing the right treatment closer to the patient.

Notes

1. The A&E performance data is available on-line.

2. The target that no patient would spend more than four hours in accident and emergency departments from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge, was set in the NHS Plan in 2000.

3. In 2003, a 98 per cent minimum operating standard was set to allow for the minority of patients that clinically require more than four hours in A&E.

Source
NHS

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