Monitor 3 September 2015
- Analysis of the sudden 4.7 percentage point decline in A&E performance against the four-hour target in Q3 2014/15.
- The report tests 10 hypotheses and concludes that the most important national cause was hospitals’ inability to accommodate the increase in admissions from A&E departments generated by the increase in A&E attendances because hospitals were running at very high occupancy rates of 90% or above.
- Data indicates 27% more delayed transfers of care out of acute hospitals.
- The other half of the decline is likely to be explained by local drivers of A&E performance.
- Documents include main report, findings at a glance, conclusions from 10 tested hypotheses, econometric analysis and next steps.
- The Next steps suggested are:
- Improving patient flow in the rest of the hospital
- Getting a better understanding of the impact of social and community care
- Supporting the mid-long term sustainability of A&E departments
- Supporting efforts to tackle local issues including the establishment of an Emergency Care Improvement Programme (ECIP) to help the most challenged urgent care systems, with a focus on patient flow.
