Commenting on the latest annual accidents and emergency admissions figures – published today (Wednesday) by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, UNISON head of health, Christina McAnea said:
“The fact that more and more people are turning to A&E when no extra money has been invested to anticipate this rise in admissions should be ringing alarm bells. There is a serious risk of system failure stemming from the lack of adequate funding.
“The combination of an ageing population and closures of services mean the pressure on emergency departments is unprecedented.
“The massive cuts to social care budgets mean some patients can’t be safely discharged and treated in the community. This causes a backlog in A&E departments with too many patients and not enough bed. This then results in ambulance crews being tied up as they are unable to hand over patients.
“Without the right resources, A&E departments are at risk of becoming even more overloaded. The failure to introduce safe staffing levels means there are too few health workers for the number of patients.
“If this government is serious about the future of the NHS, ministers must ensure that there is a long-term sustainable funding plan in place.”
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