Emergency patients face delays

Posted 15/12/2011

A report revealed by the BBC has shown that emergency patients arriving by ambulance are facing severe delays in being admitted to hospitals in England. Hospitals are expected to take charge of patients within 15 minutes of an ambulance arriving. This 15 minute expectation – whilst not an official target – is being missed in up to 56% of admissions in some hospitals, with some patients waiting up to an hour before being passed from ambulance staff to hospital staff.Samantha Collins, a Solicitor in Ashtons Legal’s Medical Injury team comments:”The figures divulged in this report are alarmingly high and highlight severe concerns about the admission process for emergency patients being brought to A & E departments by ambulance. Not only is there concern for the patients involved and how quickly they are treated, but the knock on effect of ambulance staff being held up in hospitals prevents them from attending other emergency calls. It is hoped that such delays are not continued throughout A & E care, from the time a patient is admitted through the door to being seen and assessed by the appropriate medical staff.”