Latest news with #NHS trusts
The Guardian
10 hours ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Figures gathered from NHS trusts reveal A&E ‘Uber ambulance crisis' in England
Growing numbers of patients are finding their own way to A&E instead of taking ambulances with nearly 2.7 million people making their own way to emergency departments last year. The figure is a 14% increase from 2.36 million in 2019, and highlights the number of people losing faith in ambulance services, the Liberal Democrats have warned, after gathering the data from NHS trusts. 'These figures lay bare an Uber ambulance crisis, where people do not think they can rely on ambulance services even in the most serious of circumstances. This could have deadly consequences if people have lost faith that ambulances will be there when they need them,' said Helen Morgan MP, the Liberal Democrat health and social care spokesperson. The Lib Dems called on the government to invest £50m each year into an emergency fund to ensure community ambulance stations do not close and to recruit and train paramedics. The numbers obtained by the Lib Dems through freedom of information requests to NHS trusts showed the highest rise in Sandwell and West Birmingham, where there was a 320% increase in the number of people arriving at A&E without an ambulance compared to 2019. The numbers of people taking taxis or other forms of transport to a hospital did rely on the severity of their condition. Code 1 incidents – the most severe category for those needing immediate medical attention – saw a 24% drop in the number of people arriving without an ambulance compared to 2019. There was a rise however of 54% in code 2 incidents, where patients require urgent attention. The Association of Ambulance Chief Executives said there can be times when it was appropriate for patients to make their own way to hospital, so that those with the most severe conditions could be prioritised. 'Current data proves that NHS ambulance services have never been busier answering 999 calls and responding to more patients than ever before, something that is testament to our incredibly hard-working frontline staff, as well as those handling the calls and dispatching the most appropriate clinical response to patients in greatest need,' said Anna Parry, managing director of the AACE. Dennis Reed, director of the Silver Voices NGO which advocates for elderly people in Britain, said the lack of ambulance availability was caused by them having to wait outside hospitals because of a lack of available beds, a problem he said could be solved by investing in social care to ensure older people could be cared for at home. 'This government has not sorted out the social care crisis and comes up with all sorts of other ideas instead,' said Reed, who believed the Lib Dem proposal of a £50m emergency fund would 'only help around the margins' unless social care is invested in. Caroline Abrahams, Age UK charity director, said: 'So many people in acute medical need going to hospital under their own steam, including those in late old age, reflect an ambulance service struggling to cope. Even once these people arrive they may face a long wait for treatment, possibly on a trolley in an overspill area, not even in A&E. "This is a truly frightening scenario for the public that diminishes their trust in the NHS and as such is a problem that should be a top priority for politicians to solve.'
Yahoo
10-08-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
NHS to recruit nurses and midwives before vacancies arise in new jobs boost
New measures will be introduced to allow NHS trusts to take on newly qualified nurses and midwives before vacancies arise, the Government has announced. NHS providers will be able to begin recruiting before vacancies formally arise as part of a 'graduate guarantee', the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said. Its change to the recruitment process means trusts will be able to employ new staff based on projected need rather than current headcounts and is intended to ensure there are enough jobs for every newly qualified nurse and midwife in England. The DHSC said the move will remove barriers from trusts and open up thousands of positions for newly qualified nurses and midwives in the NHS. It said the package will also ensure the NHS has the right number of staff in hospitals across the country to provide the best possible care for patients. Further measures in the 'graduate guarantee' include newly qualified students receiving access to an online hub containing important information and advice for their applications to the roles, and an additional £8 million to temporarily convert vacant maternity support worker posts to Band 5 midwifery positions. The package comes following talks between the Government, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). Record numbers decided to study nursing during the Covid pandemic, and fewer nurses and midwives are leaving the profession, meaning in some areas there are up to three times as many graduates as vacancies. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: 'It is absurd that we are training thousands of nurses and midwives every year, only to leave them without a job before their career has started. 'No one who dedicates themselves to a nursing or midwifery career should be left in limbo, when their skills are so urgently needed in the effort to rebuild our NHS. 'I am sending a clear message to every newly qualified nurse and midwife: we're here to support you from day one so you can provide the best care for patients and cut waiting lists.' The DHSC says it hopes the measures will spread healthcare professionals across a wide variety of sectors. It cites that there are three times as many graduates as there are vacancies in some parts of the country, creating barriers for newly qualified healthcare professionals seeking jobs. The Government claims the reforms will provide greater certainty and access to a wide and diverse range of roles, addressing this issue of bottlenecks. Professor Nicola Ranger, general secretary of the RCN said the success of the scheme will be judged on whether more students are able to fill vacant positions in the NHS. She said: 'Our student members have led the way in calling for ministers and healthcare leaders to provide certainty and clarity on jobs. 'Today's announcement is welcome news that should provide hope to students as they come towards the end of their education and training. 'When the health service urgently needs nursing staff, it was absurd to leave people in limbo. 'The test of this will be if students can find jobs, vacant posts are filled, and patients receive the care they deserve.' RCM chief executive Gill Walton said: 'We're pleased that the Government has listened to the voices of student midwives who are desperate to start their career, only to find those opportunities blocked. 'I know today's announcement will come as a relief to so many of the RCM's student midwife members. 'These are people, mainly women, who have worked incredibly hard to complete their degree and are trained and ready to support our current midwifery workforce at a time when so many maternity services are under pressure. 'Ensuring we have the right midwifery staff, in the right places, at the right time with the right education and training has never been so crucial as services are striving to improve safety.'
