Responding to the Government’s announcement of funding for emergency care ahead of winter, Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents organisations from across the healthcare sector, said:
“This will make a difference and will be welcomed by our members. It is also an acknowledgement of the intolerable strain faced by too many patients and staff last winter.
“NHS hospitals had to open extra beds, cancel operations and manage overwhelmed emergency departments. They were faced with a tsunami of patients including many more who were seriously ill. The ambulance service was also at full stretch. Had it not been for extensive planning and co-operation across the system, it would have been a lot worse,
“But we now have to do everything in our power to make this winter a better one – the redeveloped A&E departments, better systems for managing beds and the extra beds will help but it will still be a very significant challenge. The truth is the system is under strain all year.
“At the same time, we have an opportunity to develop a system-wide solution, with a funding settlement and the forthcoming NHS Plan. That must mean investing more in, and drawing more from, community and GP services, who can help prevent patients from needing hospital admission. And alongside this we must secure significant investment not just in the NHS but also in social care. Without this, we will just perpetuate a cycle of seasonal crises.”
