As the cold weather begins to bite, more and more people are turning to our accident and emergency (A&E) departments for treatment.
Figures, nationally, show a marked increase in A&E attendees this winter, compared with 2016-2017, and NHS England has planned, extensively, for this surge in demand by taking the following steps:
- Delivering more flu vaccinations – By 30 November, over 11m free flu vaccinations had been delivered to those in at risk groups and frontline health care workers – the highest number ever at this stage. Since then, the new additional programme offering vaccinations for frontline social care workers has also started.
- Increasing access to GPs - As at 30 September 2017, 47% of the population is able to access GP services at evenings and weekends, and we’re on track to reach 60% by March 2018, ahead of our 50% target.
- Improving NHS 111 – We have substantially upgraded the NHS 111 advice and treatment service; more than a third (37.7%) of calls are now dealt with by nurses, paramedics and doctors, compared with 22% last winter. 111 now takes 41,500 calls per day on average, with 480,400 calls during the last week of December.
- Modernising ambulance services - The Ambulance Response Programme (ARP), which is expected to save 250 lives a year and free up more crews for both rapid response and non-urgent calls, continues to be rolled out across the country.
- GP-led A&E streaming - By November, over 90% of type 1 A&E departments had front-door clinical streaming services in place, diverting people with more minor illnesses to more appropriate services.
- Tackling delayed discharges - From February to October 2017, there were 1,158 beds freed up by reducing delayed transfers of care. In October 2017, we saw the lowest number of DTOC beds since March 2016.
- Supporting the public to Stay Well – as well as encouraging people to get their flu jab, our marketing campaign is also raising awareness of advice and support available through NHS 111, their local pharmacist and NHS Choices.
- Improving hospital flow – we are working with other agencies and clinicians on a number of programmes to improve in-hospital processes to ensure that patients move quickly, safely and smoothly through and out of hospital. This includes proven tactical approaches to manage a surge in respiratory attendances and admissions.
Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust are no exception to this. I have contacted its Chief Executive and the Health Minister and understand they have taken action across the year to secure the right numbers of doctors and nurses, improve bed availability, and make sure that there is strong social care and community support network available to help discharge patients quickly during this busy time.
And it seems this extensive planning is now bearing fruit, with the most recent update from the Chief Executive of the Trust noting that:
- There have, so far, been no A&E closures or ambulance diverts;
- Bed capacity is improved on all sites;
- Performance, against the NHS’s 4hour target, is up, compared with this time last year.
As extra support for this busy period, the Trust was also recently granted additional government funding of £2.6 million.
This, as I am sure you will agree, is positive news, and is a real testament to the hard work of all our NHS staff.