Jeremy Hunt and A&E Targets

[citizenB]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health

 

Jeremy Hunt casts doubt on NHS's four-hour A&E target

 

Patients attending A&E units with less serious problems may no longer be guaranteed to be seen in four hours, the health secretary has suggested.

 

Jeremy Hunt told the House of Commons the government was "committed to maintaining" the target.

 

But he said if the standard was to be "protected" it might need to be applied to only those patients with urgent needs rather than minor problems.

 

 

 

Without getting into political arguments, I would be interested to know how people feel about the target time being applicable only to the more serious of health issues ?

 

It is my belief that more and more people are using A&E as an out of hour GP service - or when they cannot get a GP appointment in good time - but where the issues are not 'emergencies'

[citizenB]

Is it really a question of more funding required or better management of the funding the NHS already receives.

 

 

I believe when more funding is given - the top tier of administrators seems to increase, but the front line staff doesn't ?

[honeybee13]

It is my belief that more and more people are using A&E as an out of hour GP service - or when they cannot get a GP appointment in good time - but where the issues are not 'emergencies'

 

I've heard that too, CB. Also that people call ambulances for reasons that are completely non-urgent and deprive seriously ill people of help.

 

HB

[citizenB]

It is my belief that more and more people are using A&E as an out of hour GP service - or when they cannot get a GP appointment in good time - but where the issues are not 'emergencies'

 

I've heard that too, CB. Also that people call ambulances for reasons that are completely non-urgent and deprive seriously ill people of help.

 

HB

 

 

Just recently there was a TV company that followed an ambulance crew for a documentary. It was gob smacking what some people called an ambulance for - someone was drunk and couldn't find a taxi - so dialled 999 instead !

[unclebulgaria67]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health

 

 

 

Without getting into political arguments, I would be interested to know how people feel about the target time being applicable only to the more serious of health issues ?

 

It is my belief that more and more people are using A&E as an out of hour GP service - or when they cannot get a GP appointment in good time - but where the issues are not 'emergencies'

 

I think the 4 hour target was set taking into account all categories of patients that turn up at A&E. They would have discussed all the different issues they faced and how an A&E unit should function.

 

I can remember breaking my ankle along time ago (0ver 30 years ago) and waiting in A&E for about 3 hours. My ankle was broken and twisted, with a swelling the size of a small football. Because i was not bleeding and there was no bone exposed, then i was not a priority. While i was there, people with life threatening issues and/or losing blood were the priority. Eventually i was seen, taken to be x-rayed, then seen two consultants and operated on, returning home with massive plaster on in the evening. So probably i spent something like 8 hours in the hospital.

 

I have read that many A&E units have a filter system, where they have a GP or Nurse that deals with more minor issues, leaving only those people who need emergency treatments.

 

I can see the point in changing scope of 4 hour target, but it does move the goalposts. I get the feeling that the current government don't want measures that can be compared with previous governments or services in Scotland or Wales. They have changed or removed other target measures.

[citizenB]

Well now, I have just watched a BBC programme, Hospital. It will be on again next week, so watch it if you can.

 

 

We simply do NOT have enough beds - this week focussed on 3 patients - Trust site manager and top Consultants had to literally play god with one spare ICU bed. One patient being ambulanced from Norfolk with an aneurysm - 2 cancer patients waiting for operations. Whole teams of specialist surgeons waiting to see if any one can be moved from the ICU in order for them to be able to operate on their patients. One of the patients had to be sent home after waiting 6 hours. The surgeon and his team also wasted a whole day. Heart breaking.

[unclebulgaria67]

Well now, I have just watched a BBC programme, Hospital. It will be on again next week, so watch it if you can.

 

 

We simply do NOT have enough beds - this week focussed on 3 patients - Trust site manager and top Consultants had to literally play god with one spare ICU bed. One patient being ambulanced from Norfolk with an aneurysm - 2 cancer patients waiting for operations. Whole teams of specialist surgeons waiting to see if any one can be moved from the ICU in order for them to be able to operate on their patients. One of the patients had to be sent home after waiting 6 hours. The surgeon and his team also wasted a whole day. Heart breaking.

 

Not being political, but go back say 6 year or longer and the NHS was seemingly in a better position. Yes they had problems in some Hospitals such as mid Staffordshire, but in such a big organisation you will always have problems.

 

I thought the whole idea of the reforms brought in by Andrew Lansley 'heath & social care act' was to help the NHS become more efficient and able to manage its resources. The Government have tried to make savings to reduce the rate of spending increases needed, but i wonder whether doing this at the same time as increasing number of patients is wise. I think i read that more than 30 NHS trusts have large deficits, so the extra money Government spends just goes to pay off debts in the system.

[Surfer01]

A few days before Christmas after being checked by the paramedics I was rushed to the Royal Worcester hospital and put straight into a bed in A&E and attended to by a doctor within minutes. Once I was stabilised I was placed on a trolley and put in the corridor along with a number of other patients some of whom were intoxicated. I was checked on by a doctor on more than one occasion and then taken into a small room on my own where I was checked again.

Eventually after a couple of hours I was sent on my home mainly because I did not want to stay over night at the hospital. I have nothing except praise for the way the doctors and nurses treated me and the Royal Worcester s supposed to be the hub of all the issues!