Health

Fourteen hospitals to pilot new A&E targets

Fourteen hospitals have been chosen to pilot a new way to measure performance, which could pave the way for the end of the four-hour A&E target in England.

NHS England said last month that it was time to review the "outdated target".

But the move is controversial, with some seeing it as an attempt to move the goalposts because the target has been missed for more than three years.

And the Royal College of Emergency Medicine has been critical of the plans, calling them "disappointing".

The trusts chosen include a mix of rural and urban sites and top and bottom performers.

They are: • Cambridge University Hospitals • Chelsea and Westminster Hospital • Frimley Health • Imperial College Healthcare • Kettering General Hospital • Luton and Dunstable University Hospital • Mid Yorkshire Hospitals • North Tees and Hartlepool • Nottingham University Hospitals • Plymouth Hospitals • Poole Hospital • Portsmouth Hospitals • Rotherham • West Suffolk

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Instead of aiming to see and treat virtually all A&E patients in four hours, the sickest patients will be prioritised for quick treatment.

NHS England has said it wants patients who come in with heart attacks, acute asthma, sepsis and stroke to have their care started within an hour.

All patients will be expected to be assessed by a key decision-maker, such as a senior nurse, within 15 to 30 minutes.

Average waits will also be monitored.

The pilots will start in the coming months with a view to introducing the new measures from next spring.

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine has warned that the plans could lead to "crowding and delays in assessments, antibiotics and pain relief".

Its president, Taj Hassan, even said it could even see the return of the "dark days" when patients spent 48 hours in hospital corridors.

The four-hour target, which expects 95% of patients to be seen in time, was introduced in 2004 and has not been met since July 2015.

When it announced the move, NHS England said the current target Read More – Source

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