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Royal College of Emergency Medicine says A&E doctors ‘not confident’ heading into winter

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Almost nine out of 10 UK A&E clinicians who responded to a survey by The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) said they aren’t confident that their departments will cope well this winter.

Concerningly, 94% think that patients are being put at risk due to the pressures currently being experienced.

RCEM conducted the poll between 7-13 November, asking department Clinical Leads – who are doctors responsible for patient safety in A&Es – a series of questions aimed at capturing a snapshot of the current state of overcrowding and the standard of care patients are receiving in their hospitals.

In total, representatives from 83 hospitals across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, responded. The results revealed:

  • 87% of respondents said they aren’t confident that their department will cope well this winter
  • 83% of respondents had patients being cared for in corridors
  • 51% of respondents had patients being cared for in ambulances outside their Emergency Department
  • 94% said they feel patients are coming to harm because of conditions
  • And only one in 10 respondents (11%) said they felt better prepared this winter than they did last year

It comes just weeks after the government unveiled its budget, which failed to include any additional support to mitigate the looming winter crisis Emergency Departments are facing. And just days after the performance figures for A&Es in England indicated we are heading for another winter crisis.

“In the budget there was nothing to address or ease the pressures in A&Es this winter, 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.

“The government may have written off winter, but we haven’t. We will keep highlighting the harm, and what should be done to eradicate it, and holding them to account for the unavoidable and unacceptable risk our patients are being exposed to.”

Dr Adrian Boyle, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine

See the National breakdowns for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

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