Clinicians sound the alarm over patient safety concerns in A&Es - London Business News | Londonlovesbusiness.com

"51% of respondents said their ED was fairly or very unsafe, compared with just 28% who said their ED was very or fairly safe. 88% of respondents said overcrowding was a daily occurrence, with 96% saying it occurred at least several days a week. The majority of respondents said that their ED was moderately understaffed (59%) while 30% said that it was severely or dangerously understaffed."

"66% said the W45 policy (which mandates ambulance crews wait at ED for a maximum of 45 minutes before leaving the patient) had improved ambulance handover times but at the expense of making crowding worse and increasing the use of temporary care environments. A further 11% said it made crowding worse without affecting ambulance handover times."

"RCEM conducted the snap survey between 2-3 March, asking department Clinical Leads - who are doctors responsible for patient safety in A&Es - a series of questions aimed at capturing a snapshot of the current state of overcrowding, staffing levels and sustainability of working for staff in their departments. In total, representatives from 80 EDs across England responded to this short-notice survey."

A Royal College of Emergency Medicine survey of 80 English Emergency Departments reveals critical safety concerns. Fifty-one percent of Clinical Leads reported their departments as fairly or very unsafe, while 88% experience daily overcrowding. The W45 ambulance handover policy improved handover times but worsened crowding and increased temporary care environments. Staffing levels are critically low, with 59% reporting moderate understaffing and 30% reporting severe or dangerous understaffing. These findings prompted parliamentary testimony before the Health and Social Care Committee, with evidence presented by RCEM leadership, nursing representatives, and safety investigation officials.

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