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Rob Webster, Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, commented on Monitor’s report on patient A&E waits in winter last year 

“This helpful report reinforces that you cannot look at pressures on A&E in isolation and the real issue is how patients flow through the whole system. We need to look at the entire patient journey from the ambulance service to hospitals to community services and make sure patients are being treated in the right place at the right time.

“Last winter hospitals were sometimes left with a shortage of available beds because patients who are ready to go home could not be discharged due to a lack of available support in stretched community and social care services. This delayed the process of admitting patients who most urgently need care and put a huge strain on hospital services.

“We need an end to the “sticking plaster” solutions that make delivering excellent care to patients a constant challenge for our members. Investing in community and social care means hospitals can focus on admitting and treating patients who need to be there, while allowing patients who are ready to leave hospital to receive the care they need closer to home.” 

View Monitor’s report:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/458764/AE_delay_main_report_final.pdf