The RCP has welcomed the publication of NHS England's urgent and emergency care plan.
The RCP particularly welcomes:
- the focus on proactive, community-based, and risk-based care
- a renewed emphasis on addressing 12-hour delays
- continued collaboration with the RCP on diagnosing and treating sepsis
- the recognition that corridor care is a serious concern
- efforts to improve discharge processes and tackle delayed discharges
- the proposed development of standards for the first 72 hours of care
- the focus on rapid assessment and the implementation of comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) for patients living with frailty.
Crucially, the involvement of the medical profession and planned specialist care will be critical to the success of this plan, and ongoing engagement with the royal colleges and specialist societies will be essential. Current staffing levels are already under considerable strain across both urgent and elective care. This plan will not be delivered without increased hospital capacity and a reduction in length of stay. Its success will depend on adequate staffing, additional leadership capacity, and investment in IT systems and estate infrastructure.
RCP president, Dr Mumtaz Patel, said: "Urgent and emergency care services are under pressure. Success will depend on long-term investment in staffing, better integration between hospital, community and social care, and a stronger focus on the needs of older patients and those living with frailty.
"The RCP has long called for an end to corridor care. NHS England must publish the data it promised on the prevalence of corridor care as a priority – it will set a baseline to determine whether measures set out in this plan, such as improving the timeliness of discharge and use of urgent treatment centres, are working.
"Our recent Prescription for outpatients report found that the transformation of planned specialist care is essential to reducing urgent and emergency care demand. By shifting outpatient services toward prevention of ill-health and early diagnosis, the system can reduce avoidable crises that often lead to emergency admission."