What action is the Welsh Government taking to improve hospital flow and reduce preventable mortality associated with long waiting times in accident and emergency departments?
There is no routinely collected metric or dataset which can definitively attribute “excess deaths” solely to the length of time a patient spends in an emergency department. Outcomes are influenced by a range of factors, including underlying health conditions, illness severity and pressures across the wider health and care system.
However, too many people are waiting too long in emergency departments – this is an area which we need to see greater focus and action from health boards.
We are committed to reducing avoidable harm and improving outcomes for people who require urgent and emergency care. Long waits in emergency departments are distressing for patients and families and may be associated with poorer outcomes, particularly for those who are older or have complex clinical needs.
NHS Performance and Improvement monitors performance and outcome data across Wales, escalates risks to Welsh Government where necessary, and holds health boards to account for excess mortality. This includes actively providing improvement support where services are under sustained pressure.
Improving hospital patient flow and reducing avoidable risk is a priority. Our focus is on whole‑system action rather than emergency departments in isolation. A key clinical priority is ensuring earlier senior clinical assessment so that the sickest patients are identified and treated more quickly, alongside ensuring sufficient bed capacity so patients can be admitted safely and without delay. We have invested in increasing senior clinical decision‑makers at the front door to improve safety and reduce delays.
We are also expanding same‑day emergency care and acute frailty services, supported by £100m of investment over the past four years. These services now support admission avoidance for around 9,000 patients each month, helping to prevent unnecessary waits in emergency departments, although we recognise there is more to do.
Hospital flow is also being addressed through earlier discharge and increased social care capacity, including our £30m Pathways of Care transformation grant. This is helping to ensure patients who need a hospital bed can access one without avoidable delay.