A new report published today shows the pressure London’s Accident and Emergency Departments are facing this winter in treating older people. The report, London’s A&E Crisis: Older People, written by Dr Onkar Sahota AM draws from NHS statistics to highlight the pressures it currently faces. The report shows that:
- Since November, 2,689 ambulances have waited longer than 30 minutes to transfer patients into an A&E
- As many as 62,000 admissions for Londoners over 65 could have been avoided last year
- In 2013 Londoners spent at least 134,056 days in hospital longer than they needed to, and;
- Last year 29,113 Londoners over 75+ were re-admitted to hospital in an emergency
Following the report, London wide Labour Assembly Member Murad Qureshi is calling for the government to recognise the impact of cuts on local authorities and the NHS. The report highlights the consequences of inadequate care in the community on hospitals and the pressure placed on A&E. Dr Sahota is calling for a properly joined up and fully integrated health and social care system.
Murad Qureshi AM, London wide Labour Assembly Member, said:
“The report clearly shows our A&E crisis is fundamentally linked to the crisis in care for older people. London’s councils have seen their funding decimated by this government, and as a result they are unable to cope with our increasingly ageing population. Some estimates show that if no new money or reforms can be secured, councils will simply run out of money by 2020.
“The Government have handed GPs the poisoned chalice of responsibility after their top-down reorganisation of the NHS, and are seemingly now intent of blaming these pressures solely on the now infamous out-of-hours contract. The reality however is much more complex. It will not be until we have achieved the whole-person approach to health and care services that we will be truly able to tackle the pressures that inadequate care puts on our A&E departments.”
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