Emails seen by The Doctors’ Association UK from senior managers at NHS hospitals reveal a service that is running out of beds, and the despair of those trying to sort it out.

The clinical director at one hospital in Bangor in North Wales said this was “the worst start to a day in… 13 years,” and that meant staff “will have to be risky”. The Royal Oldham Hospital’s Director of Operations said they were facing “one of the worst predicted overnight bed positions that I have ever known in any hospital throughout my career”.

In the community we are hearing from GPs who are having to pick up the pieces. Patients are being discharged into the community, earlier than they should be. There’s open admission about that being described as ‘risky’ by the Chairman in North Wales in one of the hospital.

Dr Jenny Vaughan BBC Newsnight

In this segment for BBC Newsnight Dr Deb Cohen explores how emergency departments across England are struggling, and what the impact has been on patients.

Catch up with the full piece on BBC Newsnight

North East health chiefs have urged patients to “use services wisely” as shock figures show A&E waiting times soared this winter.

Dr Rinesh Parmar, chair of The Doctors’ Association UK and an intensive care doctor, said: “These figures, the worst on record, will sadly not come as a surprise to front-line doctors, who are working themselves into the ground to keep patients safe this winter.

“Poor morale and spiralling workloads have contributed to a staffing crisis in emergency medicine with A&E doctors showing the highest level of burnout across all specialities.

“Emergency doctors and our nursing colleagues are doing their utmost under very trying circumstances and it is the Government who must be held to account for these latest performance figures – which is almost certainly a direct result of years of under-funding.”

BMA emergency medicine lead, Dr Simon Walsh, said: “How many wake-up calls does the Government need?

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/worrying-statistics-expose-record-waiting-17546694

NHS England figures release today show that A&E performance is at record low in England. In December, just 79.8% of patients were seen in the Emergency Department within 4 hours, down from 81.4% the month before. This comes following revelations last month that for the first time every major A&E department had failed to hit it’s four hour waiting target in England.

This comes as a GMC survey of 6400 ‘specialty’ doctors seen by DAUK and published this morning showed that up to 30% clinicians reported feeling burnt out to a ‘high’ or ‘very high’ degree.

Dr Rinesh Parmar, Chair of The Doctors’ Association UK and an intensive care doctor said:

“These figures, the worst on record, will sadly not come as a surprise to frontline doctors, who are working themselves into the ground to keep patients safe this winter. Poor morale and spiralling workloads have contributed to a staffing crisis in Emergency Medicine with A&E doctors showing the highest level of burnout across all specialities. We are therefore are struggling to retain the A&E doctors the NHS so desperately need. Emergency doctors and our nursing colleagues are doing their utmost under very trying circumstances and it is the government who must be held to account for these latest performance figures – which is almost certainly a direct result of years of under-funding.”

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press@dauk.org

1. The Doctors’ Association UK (DAUK) is a trade association for UK doctors. Run by frontline NHS doctors, DAUK campaigns for patients and the NHS as well as advocating for the medical profession. DAUK have been vocal on patient safety issues and have consistently campaigned for safe staffing levels.

2. A GMC survey of 6400 doctors revealed up to 30% of participants reported ‘high’ or ‘very high’ feeling of burn out. The survey was of doctors not in training or consultants, other wise specialty doctors, associate specialists, or locally employed doctors. Due to attrition of doctors training in Emergency Medicine, non-training grades such as those surveyed make up a significant proportion of doctors working in Emergency Departments. The initial findings of the survey can be found here: https://www.gmc-uk.org/education/standards-guidance-and-curricula/projects/survey-of-specialty-and-associate-specialist-and-locally-employed-doctors?utm_source=DAUK&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SAS_LE_results