Thanks to
those constituents who have contacted me regarding proposals to change the
four-hour standard in A&E departments, particularly those who have shared
their personal experiences with A&E waiting times.
There are
undoubted pressures facing the NHS, and in particular A&E services, and the
need to find new and innovative ways to deliver better health outcomes in a
timely manner is a priority. The government is reviewing current measures, such
as the four-hour standard in A&E, to explore ways to improve patient care,
patient outcomes and effectively measure where this is working and where it is
not.
The
four-hour standard target since its introduction has focused resources into
emergency care with the number of emergency doctors growing by almost 50% since
2009 and significant increases in the numbers of nurses working in A&E.
This is positive progress and any new proposals would be designed to help
maintain this.
The
proposals referred to by this campaign are not intended to ‘scrap’ the
four-hour waiting times, but to review and update them in line with the major
changes in the practice of medicine and way that urgent and emergency care
services are delivered since its inception in 2004, more than 15 years ago.
The
four-hour standard only measures and reports performance of one aspect of the
urgent and emergency care system and the clinically-led review of NHS access
standards states a more sensitive method of measuring the timeliness of care is
needed. This review raises the following concerns with the current standard:
· The
target does not measure total waiting times
· The
target does not take into account patient condition
· The
target does not measure whole system performance
· The
target does not consider clinical advances in Same Day Emergency Care
· The
target is not well understood by the public
Proposals
are therefore aiming to bring more transparency to waiting times, additional
focus on time spent by patients awaiting admission, introduce new timescales
for critically ill patients needing immediate care (e.g. patients experiencing
a stroke or sepsis), ensure clinical-decision making takes places at a
clinically appropriate time and be more meaningful in reflecting the true
picture in A&E departments and hospitals a whole.
However,
it is important to note that at this stage these are proposals and no plans are
in place to implement any of the above without comprehensive consultation with
clinical experts, appropriate charities and wider stakeholders. There are a
number of hospital trusts testing the initial proposals and the views of staff,
patients and local stakeholders operating under these proposals will also be
captured as part of this evaluation.
The NHS is one of the best and
most loved institutions we have and this government is delivering on the NHS.
We have seen funding increases every year I have been MP as well as millions of
pounds of investment in Cornwall, including the recent £450m to improve
hospital facilities in the Duchy. I am confident this government will continue
to ensure the NHS is priority and any new measures are appropriate, transparent
and focused on providing quality patient outcomes in a timely manner. I will
follow this review with interest, and work with colleagues in the Department of
Health and Social Care and wider colleagues in Westminster to ensure the needs
of the NHS and in particular the unique challenges we face in Cornwall are
fully considered.
