A massive overhaul of NHS care has saved tens of thousands of patients from spending the night in hospital.
Rapid response treatment units, now operating in major emergency departments in England, discharged more than 200,000 patients on the same day last year. This was an increase of 11 percent in one year.
Freeing up beds gives hospitals much-needed extra capacity to cope with huge backlogs.
Same day emergency care (SDEC) services have even allowed some trusts to clear 30 per cent of their beds.
NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard described the plan as “one of the biggest transformations in urgent care in recent years”.
Rapid response treatment units, now operating in major emergency departments in England, discharged more than 200,000 patients on the same day last year. This was an increase of 11 percent in one year. NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard described the plan as “one of the biggest transformations in urgent care in recent years”.
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She wrote in daily express: ‘No one wants to spend a night in the hospital if it is not necessary.
“Therefore, these services try to bring the experience available in the wards closer to the front door, with the mission of helping as many people as possible return to the comfort of their homes to rest and recover that same day, after receiving care.” and the treatment they needed.
‘While challenges and pressure remain, and there is much work to do to continue this progress, the NHS always strives to provide the best care for patients.
“This is a fantastic example of how staff go above and beyond to help people get high-quality care when they need it most.”
SDEC Facilities offer field testing to accelerate treatment and reduce the flow of people into overcrowded emergency units.
They are usually delivered from dedicated units, close to A&E.
Patients can be sent there through A&E, or even referred directly by their GP.
The initiative allows some patients who need a multi-day treatment to go home each night and return the next day.
As of this year, all 170 major emergency departments in England have medical SDECs.
Some offer additional specialized units such as pediatrics and gynecology.
Nationwide, more than two million patients were discharged the same day, rather than overnight, in the year ending January 2024.
This represented an increase of more than 200,000 from 1.8 million the previous year.
West Cumberland Hospital in north Cumbria is among SDEC’s success stories; The unit is said to have reduced hospital admissions by 30 percent.
At another, King George Hospital in Redbridge, the total number of A&E patients seen in four hours has increased by almost 50 per cent.
The launch comes as A&Es also faces record demand.
More than 1.7 million people in England were taken to hospitals by ambulance this winter, 260,000 more than during the same period a year ago.
Shock figures from earlier this week showed More than 150,000 patients endured waits of at least 24 hours in emergency units in “war zones” last year.
Nationally, the number of people having to wait a full day for a bed in overcrowded emergency units has increased tenfold since 2019, with elderly and frail patients hardest hit.
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Patients have had to wait more than 50 “painful” hours in emergency departments, with one 79-year-old grandfather spending two and a half days in a chair before getting a space on a ward.
One of the main causes of so-called “corridor waits” is the large number of patients who remain in hospital despite being well enough to leave.
These delays in the discharge of “bed blockers” are often due to a lack of suitable places to transfer patients to, amid a shortage of places in nursing homes, and a lack of sufficient help from caregivers to allow patients to return home.
This, in turn, congests hospital beds and causes delays in emergency services.
Reducing waiting times for treatments was one of five priorities set by Rishi Sunak last year.
Prolonged or unnecessary hospital stays can make people weak and sick.