Do we now have a government prepared to tackle the emergency department crisis?
In a radio interview health secretary Wes Streeting said: ‘We are taking people in ambulances to emergency departments (EDs) to die,’ underlining the crisis in EDs and the issues it creates such as corridor care. This ongoing ED crisis results in harm and indignity for patients and moral injury for frontline nurses. Funding for additional social care beds could help provide a temporary and dignified solution for people living with frailty unnecessarily stuck in acute hospitals.
The health secretary admits there is an emergency department crisis that nurses and patients face every day, funding for social care beds would help address it
I recently caught an interview between the secretary of state for health and social care Wes Streeting and presenter Sheila Fogerty on LBC radio.
Ms Fogerty asked the health secretary how he would know if his government had been successful at the end of its term, and would this include the end of older people living with frailty being lodged in areas undesignated for care, such as corridors.
Mr Streeting replied: ‘I’ve seen this when I’ve been shadowing the ambulance service on ride outs. We are taking people in ambulances to emergency departments (EDs) to die, because there isn’t the right care available at the right time in the right place, including end of life care.’
We finally have a government admitting the extent of the continuing crisis that results in harm and indignity for patients and moral injury for frontline healthcare professionals.
Funding for additional social care beds is a national priority
Allocating funding for additional social care beds to provide a temporary and dignified solution for people living with frailty unnecessarily stuck in acute hospitals is a national priority.
‘Central to our nation’s health is having a well-trained and educated nursing workforce, empowered to innovate services and continually improve care’
This single act will enable acute healthcare trusts and their EDs to offload ambulances and improve the safety of the entire community.
This must be supported with the introduction of a zero tolerance policy prohibiting the ‘lodging’ of patients in undesignated areas for care.
Together, these actions would send a clear message that the government knows its priorities and intends to instil change that will make a difference to the experience and outcomes of our patients.
Ensuring the safety of ED care for people living with diabetes
Central to our nation’s health is having a well-trained and educated nursing workforce, empowered to innovate services and continually improve care.
Another key area for improvement is the safety of care that people living with diabetes experience. This is important as statistically one in six people admitted with diabetes currently comes to harm in hospital.
This is particularly serious for patients having to take insulin, where treatment regimens can be confusing and available medications have proliferated over recent years, resulting in a significant risk of user errors, due to unfamiliarity and lack of knowledge on this topic.
Martha Stewart’s valuable CPD article Recognising and managing hypoglycaemia in adults with diabetes in the emergency department is essential to us all.
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