Emergency Doctors Concerned Over Patient Safety and Care This Winter

A “shocking” number of A&E clinicians have reported concerns over patient safety this winter, as departments grapple with severe overcrowding and declining standards of care.
A survey of health care workers, responsible for patient safety in A&E departments, has revealed that 94 percent of clinicians think that patients are being put at risk.
The results also revealed that 87 percent said they were not confident their department will cope this winter and 83 percent had patients being cared for in corridors.
Overall, October accounted for 567,446 emergency admissions, a 3.8 percent increase when compared to the same month last year.
Commenting on the results of the survey, RCEM President Dr. Adrian Boyle said: “This is a stark warning from those on the front line. Clinicians are worried and patients are unsafe. Winter is coming, and it looks like we are facing a massive crisis in every part of the UK. We cannot just ignore winter and our patients.”
He also said that so-called “corridor care” is “degrading and dehumanising” for vulnerable patients.
“This euphemism, in reality, means people being stranded for hours on trolleys or chairs,” Boyle said.
“[There has been] no increase in bed numbers, no added support for social care which could keep people out of hospital in the first place or allow them to leave when they are well enough,” he said.
The October Budget set aside funding to deliver 40,000 elective appointments per week. The cash influx is meant to help reduce waiting times and includes £1.5 billion for new surgical hubs and scanners, alongside £70 million for new radiotherapy machines.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said that although the NHS remains a priority for the government, there is no magical solution to the crisis in health care.
“I can’t pretend that we’re going to be able to wave a Labour magic wand and make all of those problems go away this winter,” Streeting said.
According to the NHS National Medical Director Sir Stephen Powis, this winter will put the service under more pressure than ever before.
“While we continue to treat record numbers and deal with record demand, it is clear that there is still much further to go to return performance to the levels patients should expect and we will continue to work with government on the 10 Year Health Plan to address the needs of patients,” he said.
The government’s 10-year plan for the NHS will be published in spring 2025 and will include “big shifts” in health care, such as neighbourhood health centres, preventative health care, and reform of patient health records management.