What Is Really Causing the A&E Crisis?

[Northerner]

Last week's A&E performance in England was widely reported in the media as heralding the start of a winter crisis. In the first week of December only 87.7% of people attending a major A&E were treated and discharged or admitted within four hours. This is a big drop in performance compared with previous years.

A&E has been described as a barometer of the whole emergency care system. When things are going wrong they show up first in reductions in A&E performance. Why is this happening? Most reports suggest the crisis is due to unprecedented numbers attending A&E. BBC health correspondent Nick Triggle said "The simple answer is that more people are visiting A&E" and Richard Murray of the Kings Fund said "the number of people showing up at A&E is continually bouncing at the highest level the NHS has ever seen."

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/dr-louise-irvine/nhs-accident-emergency_b_6324026.html

 

[HOBIE]

Last time I was at A&E there was 5 people behind the screens sorting the paperwork out 😱 Its a very small hosp but someone had to make the tea 🙄

 

[KookyCat]

Here it's people taking their kids and themselves to A&E because they can't get to a GP, there's a real shortage. I couldn't get a GP for five years and had to register in Manchester at a drop in centre, I only got one in January because I was the highest priority and even then I had to be "forced in". My Mum has to travel 5 miles to another town to her GP which is OK now but she's nearly 70 and I don't drive so that could be fun if she loses mobility. My Goddaughter has a GP ten miles away but her son is high priority so he gets to go to the GP round the corner. Chaos.

 

[Lindarose]

Don't get me started! Having worked 'behind the counter' in ae for over 20 years in a very busy hospital believe me it's a nightmare for everyone Not just patients but staff too Too many patients, inappropriate attendances not enough staff I could go on but we all know it's getting worse. Not enough beds means too early discharge and consequent re attendance Glad I'm not doing that job anymore. Now I race around finding the records! Love it as good for bg! 🙂

 

[KookyCat]

Don't get me started! Having worked 'behind the counter' in ae for over 20 years in a very busy hospital believe me it's a nightmare for everyone Not just patients but staff too Too many patients, inappropriate attendances not enough staff I could go on but we all know it's getting worse. Not enough beds means too early discharge and consequent re attendance Glad I'm not doing that job anymore. Now I race around finding the records! Love it as good for bg! 🙂

I don't know how they do it, patience of a saint I say. The last time I was there with my Godson (who had a really bad cut on his leg that needed cleaning and stitching) this bloke insisted they see his son first who had a cough. They were very good with him, and I get it that he was worried and the tot wasn't very old, but really a bit of Vicks vaporub and he'd have been fine. When the bloke came in with a scrape on his knee I nearly lost the will to live. Seriously mate clean it with antiseptic and bung a plaster on!