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A&E pressure builds as beds are closed

Britain’s accident and emergency services are close to breaking point, with the situation in London becoming critical. Almost 80 per cent of the country’s A&E consultants say that poor staffing levels, insufficient beds and inadequate funding are the biggest problem they face.

Independent reports from the Association of London Government (ALG) and the Greater London Association of CHCs (GLACHC) paint a grim picture of emergency services in the capital, where almost 2,800 hospital beds have closed in the past 6 years.

‘The pressure on London’s A&E services is unbearable’, said Gail Adams, a staff nurse at St George’s Hospital.

A&E consultant Janet Porter, who is also a spokesperson for the NHS Support Federation, said: ‘We need a constructive and fully funded response to deal with the crisis.’

London CHCs are reporting long waits in casualty departments, which bear little relationship to their achievements in Patient’s Charter league tables. Some hospitals surveyed had patients waiting longer than 8 hours in the casualty department.

GLACHC is calling for a halt to further closures of A&E departments and hospital beds until clear agreement can be reached on the services needed. It believes that the problems will not be solved without a London-wide strategic body to plan the capital’s health care.

‘A decent health service is measured by the strength of its emergency services,’ said Sian Walker, chair of the ALG’s health committee. ‘On this measure, the NHS is in distress and London has been at the forefront of the crisis.’

Association of London Government: 0171 447 6215. Greater London Association of CHCs: 0171 700 0100.