People’s experiences of A&E care in England are worse than in previous years, with waiting times escalating to extreme levels, according to a survey by hospital regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
A total of 17% of urgent and emergency Type 1 patients waited more than four hours to be examined compared with 4% in 2020.
The 2022 urgent and emergency care survey was released yesterday by the CQC polling 29,357 people who attended a Type 1 service such as an A&E department and 7,418 people who attended a Type 3 service such as an urgent treatment centre or minor injury unit in September 2022.
“Although people surveyed remained broadly positive about their interactions with staff, this year’s results show a decline in positivity for every question asked where a historical comparison is available,” the CQC said.
Although Type 1 patients were affected the most, 15% of Type 3 patients with an appointment also waited more than two hours to be examined (5% in 2020) and 18% without an appointment (7% in 2020).
There were also problems with not knowing how long patients would need to wait. Some 76% of Type 1 patients and 66% of Type 3 patients were not told how long their wait would be.
Similarly, 82% of Type 1 patients and 79% of Type 3 patients were not kept updated on how long their wait would be.
Not just waiting times
But it was not just waiting ties that were affected, especially for Type 1 services, where results declined for all questions evaluating care.
Pain management also declined significantly. A total of 51% and 58% of Type 1 and Type 3 patients respectively said staff ‘definitely’ did everything they could to help control their pain. That compared to 60% and 63% for Type 1 and Type 3 services in 2020.
Staff availability was another problem area, though not as severe.
While they were waiting to be treated or examined, 56% of Type 1 patients who requested assistance said that they were unable to get help with their condition or symptoms from a member of staff, compared with 45% in 2020.
And later, during their care or treatment, 45% of Type 1 patients that reported needing attention said they were ‘always’ able to get a member of medical or nursing staff to help them. That was a decline compared to 58% in 2020.
Not all negative
The results were not all negative, however, as a majority of Type 3 patients were satisfied with their health professionals.
- More than eight in 10 (84%) of patients who used Type 3 services said health professionals ‘definitely’ listened to what they had to say.
- Eight in 10 (80%) of Type 3 patients ‘definitely’ had enough time to discuss their condition with a health professional, although lower than 85% in 2020.
- A similar percentage (79%) of Type 3 patients ‘definitely’ had confidence and trusts in health professionals, although lower than 82% in 2020.
And when it came to privacy, 88% of Type 3 patients said they were ‘definitely’ given enough privacy when being examined and treated, although that was slightly lower than 91% in 2020.
Confidence in staff was also high – though not as high as previously.
A total of 71% of Type 1 patients ‘definitely’ had confidence and trust in staff examining and treating them, compared with 77% in 2020.
And 72% of Type 1 patients felt they were treated with dignity and respect ‘all of the time’, compared with 81% in 2020
Dr Sean O’Kelly, chief inspector of healthcare at CQC, said: “These latest survey responses demonstrate how escalating demand for urgent and emergency care is both impacting on patients’ experience and increasing staff pressures to unsustainable levels.
“Staff are working extremely hard amidst challenging circumstances,” he added.
“It remains extremely concerning that for some people care is falling short, and we cannot afford to ignore the long term decline shown in relation to issues like waiting times, information provided when people leave to go home, access to pain relief and emotional support.”