Sickest patients face record long waits for hospital bed

pharmafile | February 11, 2022 | News story | Medical Communications  

According to NHS data, the sickest patients are facing record long waits for a bed upon admission to hospital in England. A third of A&E patients – 122,000 in total – who were ill enough to need treatment on a ward, waited over four hours in January.

Approximately 16,500 of them waited over 12 hours – many either waiting in corridors, or in A&E bays due to wards being full. Doctors warned that the situation was putting patients at risk, as these patients are ones who will already have faced a wait to be seen in A&E, but need further treatment due to the severity of their condition.

Figures from NHS England also showed that cancer waiting times have hit their worst level since records began, with only two-thirds of patients starting treatment within the target time of two months, following an urgent GP referral.

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On the other hand, the numbers of people on hospital waiting lists for planned treatment has risen to 6.1 million.

Dr Tim Cooksley, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said hospitals were stuck in a “vicious cycle” of delays which was affecting patient care. He said the waits for planned care were beginning to have an impact on A&Es, with the health of patients deteriorating to the point where they need emergency treatment. “Services are under significant pressure.”

The current number of patients in hospital with COVID-19 now stands at over 11,000 in England, down from over 17,000 in early January. It is clear to see that the impact of the Omicron-stricken winter is emerging, as stated by NHS national medical director Prof Stephen Powis.

Lina Adams

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