The Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) has welcomed three major new developments launched this week that are all designed to aid the ongoing transformation of the delivery of NHS urgent and emergency care in England.
A new Monitor report, ‘A&E delays: why did patients wait longer last winter?’, NHS England’s new ‘Safer, Better, Faster: good practice in delivering urgent and emergency care’ guidance and the establishment of the Emergency Care Improvement Programme (ECIP) by Monitor, the NHS Trust Development Authority, NHS England and the Department of Health, all conform to the spirit of the Keogh Urgent and Emergency Care Review and appear fully supportive of the vision and aims of the NHS Five Year Forward View that AACE has long supported.
Martin Flaherty OBE, Managing Director of the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) said:
These three new developments are positive steps towards the improvement of the NHS urgent and emergency care system, in which ambulance services play a fundamental role providing high quality patient care in a variety of settings and in a variety of ways, only taking people to hospital when it is absolutely necessary.
The Monitor report reflects the increased demand ambulance services face year-on-year, and acknowledges that we are doing a huge amount to play our part in managing that demand and avoiding inappropriate transfers to emergency departments, something we will continue to do. Ambulance services work very closely with emergency departments using a variety of initiatives to help ease pressure on the overall system and specifically to improve handover delays.
We also welcome the fact that the new ECIP will offer practical help and support to the 27 urgent and emergency care systems across England that are under the most pressure, in which ambulance services will continue to play their full part.
AACE has also had significant input into the development of the ‘Safer, Better, Faster: good practice in delivering urgent and emergency care’ guidance and is confident that ambulance services can help enable a shift in the balance of care away from acute hospitals, and particularly Emergency Departments. This is not just during winter – when pressures are highest – but throughout the year on a permanent basis, by delivering more treatment in the home and in community settings, as well as through the provision of clinical advice over the phone.
Ambulance staff are already working alongside other health and social care professionals to provide integrated, patient-focused care, making increasing use of multi-disciplines within their clinical hubs in ambulance control rooms and alternative referral pathways.
Added Mr Flaherty:
“These are exciting times for NHS urgent and emergency care, and the ambulance service, as ever, can be relied on to play its full part in delivering the highest quality care for all patients.”
