Rishi Sunak is set to announce his plan to bolster NHS emergency services within weeks as he warns up to 500 people die every week due to delays.
The prime minister is expected to lay out the details of his contingency plan and major health recovery plans, and some insiders believe it could happen as early as this month if the creaking health service raises its priority list.
The plan, which was first announced in a fall statement, is high on Mr Sunak’s agenda after a difficult holiday strike period during which more than a dozen NHS trusts and emergency services reported critical incidents.
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine and the Society for Emergency Medicine have issued warnings about the “shocking” state of the emergency room, including a warning that it is currently “unsafe and undignified”.
While the prime minister has yet to confirm rumors that he could deliver a keynote speech outlining the main issues facing the government, the source made it clear that his “priorities” include addressing NHS delays.
The recovery plans aim to reduce the arrival time for Category 2 ambulances, including heart attacks and strokes, to 30 minutes next year.
Reports of these calls have been met with great relief by recent paramedic strikes. While the official category 2 wait time target is 18 minutes, the average response time is over 40 minutes.
Emergency room waiting times and access to a family doctor are also being improved so that anyone who needs a consultation can make an appointment within two weeks.
Dr. Tim Cooksley, President of the Society for Emergency Medicine, urged Mr. Sunak to declare a “major national NHS incident.”
He said: “The current situation in emergency and emergency care is shocking. It is in critical condition for patients and extremely difficult for medical staff who are unable to provide the necessary assistance.”
Saffron Corderi, acting director of NHS Providers, said the pressure on the NHS was “equivalent” to that experienced in the early stages of the pandemic.
This was stated by the chairman of the Commons Health Committee, Steve Russell. I that plans should include measures to reduce the demand for emergency care from the NHS, which has skyrocketed in recent years, as well as funding improved access to public services, including pharmacies, to ease the burden on hospitals and reduce the number of primary care physicians.
Dr Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, has warned that up to 500 people die every week due to emergency department delays.
Dr. Boyle predicted that the waiting times to be released in the coming weeks would likely be “the worst we’ve seen” as he called for more hospital capacity and alternative ways to access treatment.
“We can’t go on like this, it’s unsafe and undignified,” he told Times Radio.
Mr Russell, the Conservative MP for Winchester, said it was a matter of supply and demand as emergency services receive 10 times as many calls as they did three years ago.
He said people need to be more aware of how to access community-based care outside of hospitals.
And he called for increased funding for care for people in the community, including stimulating pharmacies to provide services to ease the burden on hospitals and general practitioners.
“If demand continues to outstrip supply so much, we are in trouble,” he said.
He added that addressing the separate issue of backlogs is a “national challenge” not only because it affects people’s health, but also because many long-term sick people will not be able to return to work until they receive treatment.
“It is critical for the government to move from healthcare to society, to quality of life and finally to the economy,” he said.
In November, 37,837 patients waited more than 12 hours in the emergency room for a decision to be admitted, according to NHS England.
This is almost 355 percent more than last November, when an estimated 10,646 patients waited more than 12 hours.
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.