NHS Confederation responds to NAO report on unplanned and urgent care
Responding to the National Audit Office (NAO) report, 'Access to unplanned or urgent care', which details the current state of emergency care, Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said:
“The NAO paints a vivid picture of urgent and emergency care (UEC) in difficulty, which health leaders will sadly recognise all too well, despite their continuing efforts to improve and their optimism for the future.
“Leaders know there is much work to be done, and delivery of the NHS UEC recovery plan – only launched in January – is well underway, but there are no simple solutions. The challenges facing UEC services must be seen in the context of continuing high levels of demand, staffing issues, winter pressures, the aftermath of the pandemic, squeezed budgets, industrial action and a social care sector on its knees.
“While funding has increased, it has not been in line with historic rates and it has failed to keep pace with demand for well over a decade.
“In terms of NHS staffing, it is true that numbers have increased over a period of time, but these are still a long way from where patients need them to be, and while we hope that the long-term workforce plan will help address this, with issues remaining around pay and conditions for many staff, progress towards our desired destination may be slow.
“Given the sheer scale of the challenges UEC has and continues to face, it is remarkable that the NHS has managed to deliver what it has, and those working in it should hold their heads high. In 2022/23 there were 336m GP appointments and 25.2m A&E attendances. These are big numbers, delivered by dedicated leaders and staff, and while leaders continuously harbour ambitions to further improve, it should be recognised just what has been achieved in seriously difficult circumstances.
“But there is a clear need for wider action, including a shift to viewing national health as more than just NHS policy. We need a strategy for national health, which includes social care and takes into account the wider determinants of health. We need to see greater investment, particularly in community care, to boost capacity and meet demand. And we need to see patience and space for leaders who have been trusted to – and will – deliver on recovery and improvement plans.”
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We are the membership organisation that brings together, supports and speaks for the whole healthcare system in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The members we represent employ 1.5 million staff, care for more than 1 million patients a day and control £150 billion of public expenditure. We promote collaboration and partnership working as the key to improving population health, delivering high-quality care and reducing health inequalities.
