ED crisis: why a national inquiry is needed to improve standards
The NHS is in crisis and nowhere is this more apparent than in the emergency department. The 10 Year Health Plan for England emphasises the need to redesign emergency care, while also acknowledging issues such as the dehumanisation of people often left in spaces undesignated for care such as corridors, waiting rooms and stock rooms. On top of this the workforce crisis and deteriorating working conditions have left nursing staff disempowered and unable to deliver patient-focused care. Emergency care deserves a national investigation to improve standards and safety and, to meet the care demands of a growing population, wider societal problems need to be addressed
Emergency care and nursing needs a national investigation to improve standards and safety, which goes beyond the limitations of latest government health plan
The crisis in the NHS continues and nowhere is it felt greater than in the emergency department (ED).
The disgraceful practices that dehumanise patients who are often left in spaces undesignated for care – such as corridors and waiting rooms – are normalised through the use of hospital management nomenclature like ‘lodging’ and ‘temporary escalation spaces’.
This is a daily occurrence in most EDs, and it disproportionately affects our older and frail population, but does not hit the headlines until a particularly horrific story emerges. One such story is that of 87-year-old Graham Millward who reportedly remained ‘lodged’ in an ambulance receiving area for 18 hours outside an ED earlier this year until he died.
In addition, nurses have witnessed deteriorating working conditions and the demise of essential professional development specific to their area of specialty. This previously empowered them to advocate for their patients and use their specialist knowledge to drive patient-focused care.
Nursing staff are forced to deliver standards of care that fall short of their professional code
The resulting workforce crisis has left nurses disempowered and with no choice but to deliver standards of care that fall short of their professional code.
‘Emergency care deserves a national investigation, comparable to the current inquiry into maternity and neonatal services, to urgently improve standards and safety’
The recently published 10 Year Health Plan for England acknowledges the issues and the fact that corridor care has become business as usual.
It also emphasises the need to redesign emergency care. This is essential – but so is accountability.
A whole generation who believed that post-war Britain had a dependable NHS from cradle to grave has suffered in their time of need, due to multiple governments’ failures to act when this crisis began to be acknowledged.
Emergency care deserves a national investigation, comparable to the current inquiry into maternity and neonatal services, to urgently improve standards and safety, provide truth to patients and families suffering harm, and to openly hold to account those responsible for letting the health system get into this dire situation.
Yet without addressing the wider societal problems, the well-intentioned 10 year plan may only scratch the surface of our growing population’s future healthcare requirements.
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