Opposition Day Debate on A&E services

Alex Adcock; Carl Baker; Tom Powell

Summary

In the quarter ending March 2015, Accident & Emergency departments in England recorded the highest percentage of patients spending over 4 hours in A&E for a decade. The number of patients waiting over 4 hours for admission to hospital also reached a new high. Total attendance was lower than the equivalent quarter in 2014, but the number of emergency admissions was slightly higher. The number of long waits for admission in the quarter ending March 2015 was more than double that of a year ago.

Last year the UK Government announced £700 million of additional funding to help the NHS in England deal with winter pressures, and to support emergency departments in particular:

Department of Health press release on additional Winter pressure funding, January 2015

NHS England, Winter NHS services – where the extra funding is going, 6 January 2015

Library briefings

NHS Indicators: England, May 2015

A summary of statistical indicators for NHS England including accident and emergency attendance and performance. Section 2 of the briefing notes that in the quarter ending March 2015, Accident & Emergency departments recorded the highest percentage of patients spending over 4 hours in A&E for a decade. The number of patients waiting over 4 hours for admission to hospital also reached a new high.

NHS Winter Pressures 2014/15 – Weekly Update

During the winter months, NHS England publishes daily situation reports on winter pressures facing acute hospital trusts. These cover pressures such as accident and emergency diverts, ambulances queueing, bed days lost to norovirus closures, delayed transfers of care, cancelled operations, and trolley waits. This note summarises figures for 2014/15 (up to 22nd March) and compares them with the equivalent periods in 2013/14 and 2012/13. Data for individual hospital trusts or areas is available on the NHS statistical website and can be compiled or analysed by the Library on request.

Accident and Emergency Care in the UK: Statistics

What statistics are available on Accident & Emergency facilities in the UK, and what do they show? This note provides summaries and visualisations of a wide range of NHS A&E trends, including: levels of attendance over time; attendance by age, time and day of the week; various measures of waiting times; reason for attendance; and unplanned re-attendance. It also explores the extent and limitations of the available data sources.

Parliamentary material

Statements

A and E (Major Incidents)

Urgent question on the major incidents that have been declared at a number of hospitals and on A and E performance in England.

07 Jan 2015 | Urgent questions | House of Commons | 590 cc272-295

A and E and Ambulance Services

Urgent question on the performance of accident and emergency departments and ambulance services, and what plans are in place to help them cope with winter pressures.

18 Dec 2014 | Urgent questions | House of Commons | 589 cc1552-1566

NHS (Five Year Forward View)

Statement on the future of the NHS.

01 Dec 2014 | Ministerial statements | House of Commons | 589 cc47-67