The RCP has commented on the 25 January 2017 report from the National Audit Office (NAO) on the increasing demand for NHS ambulance services.
Royal College of Physicians registrar Dr Andrew Goddard said:
This new report from the National Audit Office on the ambulance service is yet more evidence of the increasing strain the NHS is under at present, as we outlined in our letter to the prime minister 2 weeks ago.
Any physician will recognise the situations described by the NAO – the inadequacy of social care provision has led to beds being filled by patients who are medically well but unable to be transferred to more appropriate care for their needs. This has a knock-on effect throughout the hospital, with the A&E department eventually unable to find any beds to transfer their patients into, leading to trolley waits and use of inappropriate care rooms – our hospitals are desperate.
Half a million ambulance hours lost while queuing outside A&E is the obvious symptom of a wider systemic problem. And the new patients coming in ambulances are not able to be treated elsewhere. As this report shows, there has been a rise in very sick patients over the last couple of years – this normally happens in the winter, but now happens all year round. As we said to the prime minister, we need serious investment in social care and in infrastructure.
For more information please contact Morgan Evans, RCP senior communications adviser:
- Email: morgan.evans@rcplondon.ac.uk
- Telephone: +44 (0)20 3075 1468