The
College of Emergency Medicine
Patron:
HRH The Princess Royal
7-9
Bream’s Buildings
London
EC4A
1DT
Tel
+44 (0)207 404 1999
Fax
+44 (0)207 067 1267
www.collemergencymed.ac.uk
PRESS
STATEMENT
22
May 2014
Emergency Departments: More useful than the official data suggests
community
without the need for Emergency Department assessment, according
to
new research undertaken by the College.
The findings from research commissioned by the College of Emergency
Medicine
and conducted by Candesic found that 85% of patients who visited
A&E
were there appropriately and that only one in seven attendees could
have
been
seen within the community.
The College’s research significantly challenges the often quoted figure that ‘40%
of
patients who attend A&E departments are discharged requiring no
treatment.’
The findings of the research arrive at a time when the delivery of Emergency
Medicine
faces a severe shortage of Emergency Medicine doctors, an
increasing
number of attendances, an unfair payment system to hospitals and a
lack
of accessible and effective alternatives to the Emergency
Department.
Although
the redirection figure of 15% is substantially less than the often
quoted
40%
it equates to 2.1 million attendances. This reconfirms the College’s
call for
the
establishment of co-located primary care centres to decongest
Emergency
Departments.
Findings
regarding Emergency Department Attendances:
- 85% of people who visited A&E do so appropriately. Only 15% of
attendees
could be seen by a GP in the community without the need for
Emergency
Department assessment. The difference between 15% and
40%
is stark (around 3.5 million patients per year).
- Of the 15% of people who could be seen by a GP the largest sub-group
were
young children presenting with symptoms of minor illness.
- The
group for whom redirection was least probable were the elderly.- 22% of people could be appropriately managed by a GP working in the
Emergency
Department with access to the same resources.
- A further 63% attendees within the Emergency Department needed the
skills
of a specialist emergency medicine doctor, and 28% were admitted
to
hospital.
This
data discrepancy should be viewed as an opportunity to design
services fit
for
the future. The message is clear – A&E Departments should be
configured
with
access to:
- Primary
Care Centres. These should be co-located,
- GP’s
to work within the Emergency Department and use the Emergency
Department
facilities,
- Early
access to specialist Emergency Medicine doctors.
Dr Clifford Mann, President of the College of Emergency Medicine, said:
“The fact that only 15% of attendees at Emergency Departments could be safely
redirected
to a primary care clinician without the need for Emergency
Department
assessment is a statistic that must be heeded by those who wish to
reconfigure
services.
Providing
a more appropriate resource for the 2.1 million patients represented
by
this
figure would substantially decongest emergency departments.
“Decongesting
Emergency Departments is key to relieving the unprecedented
levels
of pressure placed upon them and improving patient care. This is one
of
the
key principles outlined in our call for action: The 10 Priorities to
solve the
Emergency
Medicine Crisis."
-Ends-Contact
For
further information, or to speak with a spokesperson for The College
of
Emergency
Medicine, please contact +44(0)20 70671275 or email
Kieran.Watkins@collemergencymed.ac.uk
Notes
to editors
This data based analysis on the records of 3,053 patients who visited twelve
Emergency
Departments (A&E’s) across the country over a 24 hour period
was
collected
on Thursday 20th March 2014 by Independent strategy healthcare
consultancy,
Candesic. The A&E’s were representative in terms of geography,
age
and case mix.
Primary
Care Centres
Urgent
Care Centre) alongside the Emergency Department. Primary Care
Centres
treat minor injuries and medical problems within a primary care
setting.
Patients
presenting to the hospital front door can be triaged into either the
Primary
Care Centre or the Emergency Department dependent upon their care
needs.
This allows for an effective alternative to the Emergency Department
and
can
support patients in accessing the right care the first time round.
About
the College’s 10 priorities the to solve Emergency Medicine Crisis
The College published ’10 priorities for resolving the crisis in Emergency
Departments’
earlier this year and clearly sets out what action needs to be
taken
to address the current challenges in A&E. The College through
its Members
is
playing its part and we are working in 5 key areas.
We have identified 5 priorities for the College and 5 for the Government and
NHS
leadership to address the current challenges. Our proposals are the
collective
view of practicing Emergency Physicians; they represent cost-
effective
solutions to ensure we can deliver safe patient care.
Download
10 priorities for resolving the crisis in Emergency Departments here
About the College of Emergency Medicine
The College of Emergency Medicine is the single authoritative body for
Emergency
Medicine in the UK. Emergency Medicine is the medical specialty
which
provides doctors and consultants to (Accident &) Emergency
Departments
in the NHS in the UK and other healthcare systems across the world.
The College works to ensure high quality care by setting and monitoring
standards
of care, and providing expert guidance and advice on policy to
relevant
bodies on matters relating to Emergency Medicine.
The College has over 4000 fellows and members, who are doctors and
consultants
in Emergency Departments working in the health services in England,
Wales,
Scotland and Northern Ireland, Eire and across the world.
Excellence
in Emergency Care
Incorporated
by Royal Charter, 2008
Registered
Charity number 1122689
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