The NHS is ‘not resilient enough’ to care for patients this winter, a top doctor has warned.
Dr. Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, fears the healthcare system could face a similar situation to last winter, described as one of the worst on record.
His comments come as Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Steve Barclay met with health leaders and charities in Downing Street to discuss how the NHS can continue to run smoothly.
Doctors expect an influx of Covid cases, flu and other respiratory illnesses in the coming months.
Dr. Boyle, who attended the meeting at Number 10, said: “We remain concerned about how we will be able to care for our patients this winter.
The NHS is ‘not resilient enough’ to care for patients this winter, a top doctor has warned
‘There are still far too many patients waiting too long to be admitted to hospital. This will inevitably cause problems with ambulance transfers and also the problems with caring for people in the corridors last winter.
“(Last winter) was extremely difficult and in terms of objective measurements it was the worst we have ever seen.”
Asked whether the NHS could see a repeat this winter, he said: ‘It’s certainly a possibility. We still think our system is fragile and not resilient enough to prevent a similar situation next winter.’
Dr. Boyle said he would call for urgent action to tackle the numbers waiting more than 12 hours in A&E. In England, the figure was 23,934 in July, down 10 percent from 26,531 in June. It reached a record of 54,573 in December 2022.
The RCEM is calling for increased efforts to vaccinate frontline health workers against flu and Covid.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, the Prime Minister said: ‘This year we have started planning for winter earlier than before. We have invested in more beds, ambulances and discharge lounges through our Emergency and Urgent Care Recovery Plan, and we are freeing up 15 million GP appointments through our Primary Care Recovery Plan.
“To further that progress, today we’re bringing together the best minds in healthcare, all with one common goal: protecting patients and ensuring they get the care they need this winter.”
Mr Barclay added: ‘Winter is always an extremely busy time and we are working across the NHS to make services more resilient, so that those who need help and support most get the care they need.
A group of people gather on Warren Street in London ahead of a Support the Strikes march in solidarity with nurses, junior doctors and other NHS staff
‘I am working closely with NHS and social care leaders to provide additional hospital capacity, protect emergency care and unleash the full potential of technology to deliver the best possible service and intensify our efforts to tackle waiting lists.’
Earlier this year, NHS England announced plans for cash incentives for hospitals that ‘overperform’ on performance measures such as waiting times.
It also announced plans to introduce social care ‘traffic control centres’ to help speed up hospital discharges, so patients can be turned away from hospitals when they no longer need to be there.
Other plans include deploying more ambulances on the roads, extra beds in hospitals and increasing the use of ‘acute respiratory centres’.
Sarah-Jane Marsh, national director of emergency care at NHS England, said: ‘The coming winter will be another challenge for health and social care. That’s why teams across the NHS have been planning for this busy period since the start of this month. summer, including deploying more ambulances on the road and adding more hospital beds and virtual ward beds.”
About three-quarters of patients in England were seen in emergency departments within four hours in July. In December, this figure reached a record low of 65 percent.
The NHS recovery plan has set a target that by March 2024, 76 per cent of emergency department patients should be admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours.
Meanwhile, a record 7.6 million people are waiting for treatment in England.