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When we launched the Shaping Care Together programme, we identified a number of NHS services that may need to change so that we can continue to offer excellent quality services, in a safe environment, in the years to come.
Of these, we will start by looking at how we offer care to those who need urgent or emergency treatment.
Urgent and emergency care services have a big impact on how many other NHS services operate. For example, trauma surgery, intensive care and high dependency units often sit alongside emergency care. And the way in which urgent care is provided can affect how we care for and support people in their own homes and in their communities.
Levels of demand for urgent and emergency care can be highly unpredictable. When emergency care services come under strain, the impact can be felt across the wider health and care system. This can lead to longer waiting lists and potentially more cancellations for people waiting for operations.
Our urgent and emergency care services are feeling the strain like never before. Several expert reviews over the past decade have made it clear that we need to change, highlighting factors such as:
Children’s emergency and urgent care services are not provided 24/7, meaning that children may not be getting the same quality of care as adults.
Staff shortages can sometimes make it harder to provide the high levels of patient safety we aim for.
The way we currently provide services is not financially sustainable in the longer term.
If pressure increases in one area of care, it can often be felt right across the system. When urgent and emergency care services in our hospitals come under strain, it is often felt across the range of services we provide in our communities.
Many people we treat are older people who go on to occupy hospital beds, sometimes for lengthy periods whilst they wait for the support they need to be put in place closer to home.
Simply put, now is the right time to address these issues.
How exactly we do this, and how services are delivered, will have a big impact on the success of the whole Shaping Care Together programme.
For these reasons, the NHS partner organisations behind Shaping Care Together have taken the decision to focus on urgent and emergency care first.
When we launched the Shaping Care Together programme, we identified a number of NHS services that may need to change so that we can continue to offer excellent quality services, in a safe environment, in the years to come.
Of these, we will start by looking at how we offer care to those who need urgent or emergency treatment.
Urgent and emergency care services have a big impact on how many other NHS services operate. For example, trauma surgery, intensive care and high dependency units often sit alongside emergency care. And the way in which urgent care is provided can affect how we care for and support people in their own homes and in their communities.
Levels of demand for urgent and emergency care can be highly unpredictable. When emergency care services come under strain, the impact can be felt across the wider health and care system. This can lead to longer waiting lists and potentially more cancellations for people waiting for operations.
Our urgent and emergency care services are feeling the strain like never before. Several expert reviews over the past decade have made it clear that we need to change, highlighting factors such as:
Children’s emergency and urgent care services are not provided 24/7, meaning that children may not be getting the same quality of care as adults.
Staff shortages can sometimes make it harder to provide the high levels of patient safety we aim for.
The way we currently provide services is not financially sustainable in the longer term.
If pressure increases in one area of care, it can often be felt right across the system. When urgent and emergency care services in our hospitals come under strain, it is often felt across the range of services we provide in our communities.
Many people we treat are older people who go on to occupy hospital beds, sometimes for lengthy periods whilst they wait for the support they need to be put in place closer to home.
Simply put, now is the right time to address these issues.
How exactly we do this, and how services are delivered, will have a big impact on the success of the whole Shaping Care Together programme.
For these reasons, the NHS partner organisations behind Shaping Care Together have taken the decision to focus on urgent and emergency care first.
