A&E's facing 'massive crisis' this winter as emergency doctor raises alarm

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine's snapshot survey shows nine in ten A&E clinicians think patients could come to harm due to conditions as winter crisis looms

A top emergency doctor has raised the alarm over patient safety and A&E pressures, warning of a "massive crisis" this winter.

President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Dr Adrian Boyle, said the risk of people dying after being stranded in hospital trolleys increases every hour.

"Each one someone's mum, dad, gran or grandad, condemned to degrading and dehumanising so-called 'corridor care'," he added.

The organisation's snapshot survey published today shows nine in ten A&E clinicians think patients could come to harm due to conditions. A further 87% are not confident their departments will cope well in the coming months.

And only 11% of the representatives from 83 hospitals across the UK said they felt better prepared for winter than they did last year, the RCEM added.

Last winter there were grim scenes of NHS ambulances queuing outside A&E centres and patients on beds in hospital corridors.

Dr Boyle said: "This is a stark warning from those on the front line. Clinicians are worried and patients are unsafe. Winter is coming, and it looks like we are facing a massive crisis in every part of the UK."

He added: “We speak of percentages and numbers but let’s remember we are talking about people, and a workforce running on fumes trying to do their best."

At the Budget last month the government announced a £22billion package to support the day-to-day health budget across two years. But Dr Boyle said there was "nothing to address or ease the pressures" on A&E centres this winter and no added support for social care.

It comes as the ex-Labour PM Gordon Brown also highlighted the work of charities offering warm sanctuaries to vulnerable people, with temperatures set to plummet this week.

He praised the work to keep people warm in libraries, community centres, sports halls and churches across the country.

Writing for The Mirror, he said: "We need old and young to know the warm welcome spaces are there for them. Last winter, according to our survey, too few, just 1 in 5 people knew where to find their local space. This year, we want everyone to have the chance to know what is on offer."

He said that as Christmas approaches the charity he is a patron of, Warm Welcome, "is stepping up its offer of both the warmth of heating and the warmth of friendship".

"When asked in a survey from last winter, the majority of the guests said that without the spaces, they would have been at home with the heating off—and thus alone and in the cold," the former PM added.

It comes as the government braces for a winter fuel cut backlash to intensify in the coming weeks amid a cold snap. In the summer the Chancellor scrapped the up to £300 payments for over nine million pensioners, blaming a £22billion black hole left by the Tories. Instead the payments are now being means tested for those on pension credit.

In response to the doctors' poll an NHS England spokesman said NHS teams have been working hard "to put the system in the best possible position for this winter".

They added: "But while these efforts mean that four-hour A&E performance is currently up on last year, this winter is likely to be another challenging one, which is why we have asked all parts of the NHS to work together to ensure that the safety and dignity of all patients, whether they are in hospital or at home, is the number one priority."

"As always, the public have an important part to play in helping NHS staff over winter, by getting all the vaccines you are eligible for as soon as possible, and using the NHS 111 service - through the NHS App, online or phone - for advice on how to access the right support for non-emergency health needs."

The RCEM survey was conducted between November 7 and 13. Responses were received from 83 emergency doctors representing 83 hospitals out of 225 emergency departments around the UK.