Research supported by Health Data Research UK has revealed that nearly 30% of all emergency department (ED) attendances and 40% of emergency admissions are for conditions that may be manageable through ambulatory emergency care (AEC) – also known as same-day emergency care – or community-based services.
Data was analysed from seven regional centres that include 21 acute hospitals in England, covering 1.5 million emergency department attendances and 660,105 emergency admissions over a one-year period from November 2021 to October 2022. The regional centres covered a wide geography, from urban and suburban to rural locations.
The study revealed that 29.6% of all ED attendances were for conditions considered suitable for AEC and 40.8% of emergency admissions involved AEC-related conditions. There was also a large variation between hospitals in both the proportion of AEC attendances and admissions, suggesting differences in how services are organised and delivered.
Professor Richard Jacques, Deputy Head of Population Health at the University of Sheffield School of Medicine and Population Health, said:
“There are significant pressures on A&E departments up and down the country, which ultimately result in long waiting times for patients. The findings of our study reveal that same-day emergency care could play an important role in reducing these pressures, if targeted at the right patient population.
The variation we see between hospitals also highlights an opportunity to improve consistency and share best practice across the NHS, improving care for all.”
Among admissions for AEC-related conditions, nearly half of the patients stayed in hospital for less than two days. This research shows the potential that improved understanding and expansion of same-day care pathways could have in addressing the growing demand on hospital services across England and the UK more widely.
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