State of the NHS Flashcards
What are the categories for ambulance callouts?
Category 1: An immediate response to a life-threatening condition The average response time should be under 7 minutes and 90% of ambulances should arrive within 15 minutes.
Category 2: A serious condition which may require rapid assessment and/or urgent transport. The average response time should be under 18 minutes and 90% of ambulances should arrive within 40 minutes.
Category 3: An urgent problem which requires treatment and transport to an acute setting. 90% of ambulances should arrive within 2 hours.
Category 4: A non-urgent problem, such as stable clinical cases, which requires transportation to a hospital ward or clinic. 90% of ambulances should arrive within 3 hours.
What was the average wait for an ambulance for a category 2 emergency in April/May 2022?
40 mins, well above the target 18.
In April/May of 2022 how far above the target were ambulances for category 1?
1:36 above target of 8 mins.
How many more ambulance calls have there been post COVID?
The ambulance service is seeing unprecedented levels of demand post-Covid. There were 860,000 calls to 999 made in England in April 2022, up 20% on the previous April.
How has austerity affected ambulance waiting times?
Post-2010 cuts to community services have resulted in greater pressures on the emergency services, as people previously treated in the community are entering the health system later and therefore with more acute issues.
How has a shortage of paramedics caused problems with ambulance waiting times?
The GMB union has found that 1,000 ambulance workers have left the service since 2018 to seek a ‘better work-life balance’.
How has overcrowding in A&E caused an increase in ambulance waiting times?
Emergency departments have become overcrowded, and this slows down ambulance crews. Ambulances are having to wait with patients until space in the emergency department becomes available. This slows their ability to respond to other call requests.
How was the government aimed to rectify the problem?
The government has allocated £150 million to specifically address ambulance waiting times and has given NHS workers a 3% pay rise in order to incentivise retention. For context, the £150 million figure represents 0.1% of the overall NHS budget of around £150 billion.
How many people are waiting over 18 weeks for consultant led care?
2.75 million people are waiting more than 18 weeks for treatment.
What is the hidden backlog?
The number of people of who require treatment but have had referrals cancelled or are reluctant to request treatment.
What were the cancer waiting times?
As of August 2022, only 75% of cancer patients referred by a GP had seen a consultant within the 2 weeks target time and only 62% of patients had started treatment.
What changes have occurred in the care sector?
Huge number of vacancies that have gone unfilled. A recent Skills for Care study found that the number of available posts in the care sector increased by 0.3% in 2021/22, while the number of applications for those roles decreased by 3%. This has led to 165,000 posts going vacant, which is 10.7% of the available posts. This is the highest number on record – higher than the amount of vacant positions in the NHS at 8% or in the wider economy at 4%.
How many people have become unpaid carers since 2022?
4.5 million more people have become unpaid carers since the pandemic began, bringing the total number of unpaid carers to 13.6 million people.
What are the average wages for social workers vs others?
For example, the average hourly wage for a care sector worker in 2022 is £9.50. This compares well to kitchen and catering assistants (£8.92), but not to retail assistants (£9.64).
How has Brexit affected care work?
In January 2021, it became impossible for someone from the EU to gain work in the UK in the care sector. This naturally led to a dramatic rise in vacancies in the sector which had previously relied on EU workers to provide labour.
