Accident and Emergency doctors have warned that patients are at risk under the current A&E system. The College of Emergency Medicine spoke to over 1,000 doctors and found that many were growing increasingly concerned about the state of emergency medicine within the NHS.
A massive 94% complained that they were working too many hours, many working well in excess of what they were contracted for. Whist this may not be headline news, the impact of this can be immense. Doctors working more hours to cover staff shortages is seemingly rife, with statistics showing that the average number of A&E consultants is seven per unit when that figure should be at least ten per unit.
Waiting times being on the increase whilst doctors are on the decrease seems to be the message coming across. The NHS is heading into winter with dire warnings and urgent recommendations about the state of play in emergency medicine. Whilst the government has agreed to inject £500m of additional funding into hospitals to help with the keeping of A&E departments over the next two winters, questions must be asked as to whether this is enough.
We wait to see what happens.
Waldrons Solicitors Blog 