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1. Emma Upton Research
A&E Waiting Time Targets:
Mirror Report on Waiting Time Targets
Accident and emergency units have missed their waiting time targets for the
80th week in a row as the winter crisis continues to grip the NHS. Damning
figures showed 93% of A&E patients were admitted, transferred or discharged
within the four-hour limit last week - two per cent below the key 95% target.
And bed-blocking has risen to its highest level this winter, with 4,300 hospitals
beds unavailable for incoming patients becauseof delays in transfers, up from
4,200 in the previous week. The knock-on effectfilters through the system,
leading to delays at struggling casualty departments. Shadow Health Secretary
Andy Burnhamblasted David Cameron’s “failure to act” and attacked Tory
social care cuts. He said: “Patients waiting too long for ambulances and too
long to be seen in A&E cannot wait any longer for the Prime Minister to get his
act together. “But, sadly, this Government’s focus is not on patient care but on
PR, with hospitals seemingly under pressureto downplay problems for political
and reputational reasons. “Ministers caused this crisis by making it harder to
see a GP and cutting home care fromvulnerable people. “Their failure to act
now is leaving thousands of patients exposed to too much risk. The Tory A&E
crisis is proof they can’tbe trusted with the NHS.” Some 389,000patients
attended A&E units last week, up from 377,000theprevious week but still
shortof the 440,000 peak experienced shortly before Christmas. The93% of
patients admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours was up on the
92.4% for the previous week.

2. Emma Upton Research
BedBlocking:
IndependentReport on Bed Blocking
Bed-blocking is causing a huge strain on the NHS, with more than one million
hospital bed days lost becauseof delayed discharges in the past year, new
figures revealed last night.
The number of days health managers are forced to keep patients in hospital
because they cannotbe transferred into the community has risen by nearly 20
per cent in a year and is now at a record level, at a costto the NHS of £287m.
Labour blamed the delays and bed-blocking on cuts to social carebudgets,
which have been reduced by £3.5bn since2010. They argued it was a false
economy to cut social carebecause it meant more elderly people werebeing
admitted to hospital instead of being cared for at home. In turn, the same
group of patients were being transferred back homeless quickly because of
reductions in social care services.
In February 2014, therewere71,872 hospitaldelayed days, rising to 78,887 in
March. By Augustlast year the number of delayed transfer days roseto 90,840.
Each excess bed day costs £275, according to the Department of Health’s own
figures. At the same time, 300,000 fewer peopleover the age of 65 are
receiving state-funded social care services compared with 2010. With adult
social care supportreduced, the number of over-90s rushed to A&E by
ambulance has increased by half since 2010 –from 202,537in 2009-10to
302,284 in 2013-14.Labour has promised to integrate physicaland mental
health and social care services, with people given a personalcare plan and a
single point of contact for those with the greatest need. On Friday the party
launched an election poster featuring the X-ray of a broken leg with the slogan:
“Next time they’ll cut to the bone. The NHS can’tafford the Tory cuts plan.”
Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnhamsaid: “Care cuts are in fact NHS cuts ...
Back in 2010 I said it would be irresponsibleto safeguard the NHS budget if the
way you pay for it is by raiding social care. This Parliament has borne that out
completely. Care costs are the rootcause of the A&E crisis.

3. Emma Upton Research
The Guardian Report on Bed Blocking
Huge numbers of hospital beds filled with patients “trapped” despite being fit
to leave are adding to the deepening chaos in A&E and forcing operations to
be cancelled, a survey of NHS bosses for the Guardian has revealed. Half of
hospitals reported that at least 10% of beds are taken up by “bedblockers”, 50
NHS trust heads across England said. Twenty of the respondents said as many
as one in five beds could not be used for new admittances, according to the
research by NHS Providers. AtAddenbrooke’s in Cambridge, one of the largest
hospitals in England, 87 of 1,000 beds arefilled with such patients. Onehas
been there for 72 days after she was declared fit to leave and another for 59
days. The hospital said 21 patients had been fit to go for at least three weeks,
11 for two to three weeks and 22 for between seven and 13 days. On
Wednesday night, Addenbrooke’s declared it was in the throes of a major
incident, meaning it was rationing less urgent care to cope with demand. Its
chief executive, Dr Keith McNeil, said the situation had forced the hospital to
cancel planned operations such as hernia repairs, losing it vital income.
Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents NHS
trusts, said the rising number of “delayed discharge” patients was leading to
A&E units getting “jammed” with too many patients and urged ministers to
increase funding for social care to solvethe problem. “Our members tell us
delayed discharges area very significant problem and a major contributor to
currentperformancedifficulties in accident and emergency services. You get
what you pay for, and you cannot reduce social care funding without
significantly increasing risk for the NHS, however hard local authorities work.
The government has to properly fund both the NHS and social care to deal with
rapidly rising levels of demand as the population lives longer and with
increasing numbers of older patients with complex multiple conditions”, he
added. The charity Age UK criticised cuts to social care under the coalition for
creating a systemwherevital NHS resources arewasted and patients suffer.
“We know that social care spending has fallen dramatically and that without
social care older people are more likely to end up in A&E becauseof a health
crisis. Itis also clear that without the proper social care to supportthem stays
in hospital are often longer than they need to be,” said Caroline Abrahams, the
charity’s director.