Demand on NHS all-time high
Posted: August 21, 2015
Posted in: Medical Negligence NHS Claims
Official data from NHS England has revealed the huge increase in demand on hospital services. The data showed increases across numerous areas of the NHS, including emergency ambulance call-outs, emergency admissions, A&E admissions, diagnostic tests and treatments. NHS England recognised that this constant increase in demand is part of a continuing trend.
The data, which covered a wide range of services, was the first time NHS England has published data of this variety and depth in one day. This “super-Thursday” provided an illustration of the year that led up to June 2015. It revealed:
- An increase in A&E attendances by 1.1%
- An increase in ambulance call-outs by 7%
- An increase in consultant-led treatments by 5.1%
- An increase in emergency admissions by 2.7%
- An increase in diagnostic tests by 5.8%
What the data also showed, however, was that two of the eight targets for cancer treatment were missed. It revealed that only 81% of patients started treatment within 62 days of being referred to a GP, despite the target of 85% of patients. This target has not been met since the last three months of 2013 and has recently been recorded as the worst since records began in 2009.
Dr Chaand Nagpaul, from the British Medical Association, said that changes needed to be made on the ground level of general practice. However, he stated: “With medical graduates turning their backs on general practice, there is no sign that the government will be able to fulfil its pledge to recruit 5,000 GPs and open all surgeries seven days a week.”
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