Winter pressures Wales
Published: 23 December 2008
RCN Wales warns of growing winter pressures across the NHS
The recent cold snap and spate of cases of norovirus are at risk of putting unbearable pressure on some parts of the NHS in the run up to Christmas, warns the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). Nurses from around the country have been contacting the RCN over the past week worried about the level of care they are able to give patients when services are stretched to the limit.
Tina Donnelly, Director of the Royal College of Nursing Wales said, "Wales faces specifc pressures in A&E during the winter months. This is a longstanding concern of our members. As a consequence we have worked closely with the Government of Wales to develop an emergency care strategy.
“The Government via the NHS Trusts must provide ring fenced financial resources to allow NHS A&E departments to meet the four hour target. Without this additional funding the target is unlikely to be met over this busy period.The public must seek to understand that Accident and Emergency is for patients who need urgent care, and that these patients must take priority. As a consequence patients requiring less urgent care will undoubtedly be required to wait should they attend to A&E.
"The difficulty is not only at the front end of hospitals but requires a full systems change. By this we mean patients from hospitals must be able to be discharged into a community setting in order to free up beds. Without adequate community resources this problem will continue."