A SENIOR consultant has called for a review of NHS staffing to relieve pressure on busy accident and emergency departments in the wake of a surge of patients suffering winter-related illness and injuries.
Dr David Chung, Scottish vice-president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said many issues are being caused by hospitals being left with fewer staff at evenings and weekends.
He added that some problems could be overcome by having more staff working beyond a 9am-5pm shift pattern, saying: “You wouldn’t field a team of seven in a football match and expect a great result.”
Dr Chung, an A&E consultant in Ayrshire with more than 20 years’ experience, said that he expected his comments to draw fire from some colleagues, but spoke up in the hope of sparking “an honest debate” about NHS shortcomings.
“Working beyond 9 to 5 goes with the territory, it defines the job,” Dr Chung told The Sunday Times. “Our busiest times in A&E are the evenings, yet we often find that the key staff needed to help process patients are not around.
“It’s like a kitchen, you need to clean as you go. We can’t put off tomorrow’s work and create a backlog, no restaurant stops washing up at 5pm, but many hospitals work in just this fashion, leaving essential tasks until the next day, and everyone is surprised when there are patients waiting on trolleys overnight.”
READ MORE: A & E waiting times hit by winter surge
The winter period has been especially turbulent for Scottish hospitals this year, with patients with broken bones reportedly untreated for days while others languished on trolleys for 12 hours or longer due to bed shortages.
Official figures indicate that waiting times in A&Es reached a record in the week to December 17, with some health boards reporting a threefold rise in patients after slips, trips or falls.
In total, Scotland’s emergency departments received about 29,000 patients that week, but Dr Chung said a similar number was handled at other times, largely without issue. In May and June, weekly attendances often exceeded 27,000.
One issue is that key staff such as occupational therapists, physiotherapists, pharmacists and those in diagnostics are needed to aid the prompt discharge of patients but they are often unavailable after 5pm.
READ MORE: Axed casualty unit to reopen for winter rush
Providing patients with a full care package until at least 10pm on weekdays, Dr Chung believes, would help “clear the decks” for the following day and enable hospitals to cope at times of greater demand.
He added: “We have to get this right for safer patient care. Long delays mean poorer outcomes for patients. We need to define what constitutes an essential service and then work towards ensuring that hospitals [have] the right staff at the right times.”
Chung’s comments were welcomed by opposition parties, with Miles Briggs, the Scottish Conservative shadow health secretary, saying the Scottish government had failed to deal with staff shortages.
Anas Sarwar, Scottish Labour’s health spokesman, said: “Simply put, our hospitals don’t have enough doctors and nurses.” He said “sticking plaster solutions” were preferred to “the changes our health service needs”.
READ MORE: Pensioner left 'freezing on the ground' during ambulance wait
The Scottish government said: “Our health service is experiencing a much greater level and complexity of demand than usual. The number of people attending emergency departments is at its highest level since 2015 and we’re experiencing at least double the rate of influenza-like illness.
“We are investing £22.4m into additional clinical and non-clinical staff to deal with the exceptional pressures. We are grateful to all staff who are working hard to give patients the best possible care.”
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