What is A&E? And what happens there? The Accident and Emergency department (A&E) assesses and treats people with major trauma, serious injuries and illnesses, and those in need of emergency treatment. It’s open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days of the year. It has alternative names: Casualty Emergency Department (ED) Emergency Room […]
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Does the NHS have enough hospital beds? Yes/no. [“that’s helpful!” MyHSN Ed] What we need is more protected surgical beds, so we can do more operations. Let’s explain why that is so. The problem As we all know there are over 6m people waiting for an operation (or procedure) in the NHS, some waiting over 2 […]
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What is a general practitioner (GP)? A GP (general practitioner) is a senior ‘family doctor’. They are based in a local general practice, and a cornerstone of the NHS. 90% of contacts with the NHS are with your GPs. What does a GP do? GPs treat acute (short term) and chronic (long term) illnesses and provide preventive care and health education to […]
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How do you find your relative in hospital This is how to find your relative in hospital. 1. Visiting hours – check them before you go on the hospital website (or ring ward). They may be different on different wards. 2. Find them – this is quite easy. Approach the desk in the hospital reception and […]
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What is the average wait time in A&E? It is meant to be 4 hours or less. But actually it is not known. It is easier to state the maximum waiting time in A&E. I.e. it should be four hours or less. Ok, so let’s expand on that a bit. The waiting time target for […]
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7 Principles (and core values) of the NHS These are the 7 principles of the NHS, as stated in Englands’ NHS Constitution. It was first written in 2009, and last updated in January 2021. 1. The NHS provides a comprehensive service, available to all The NHS is available to all irrespective of gender, race, disability, age, sexual […]
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What is an acute ward? An acute ward is a ward in a hospital where you are sent from A&E, if the doctors feel you are too unwell to go home. There may be an Acute Medical Unit (AMU) that acts as a bridge to an acute ward. A few patients from Urgent Treatment or Walk-in Centre are also sent there – i.e. to […]
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When to go to A&E? Yes, of course you should – if you have a condition that needs it. We are there to help you. It’s there for you if you are very unwell – especially if you have any of the ‘red flags’ symptoms below. Its main function is to deal with serious and […]
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How much does the NHS cost compared to other countries? First of all, how much does the NHS cost? It is actually very hard to say, as it is surprisingly difficult to define the NHS. For example, does it include all the 4 nations, as they have different NHSs. Does it include healthcare for the […]
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Why is the NHS so broken? On 5th July – ironically the ‘birthday’ of the NHS in 1948 – the new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting MP, declared that the “NHS is broken”. He is right. But why? 4 reasons: People – too many Age – too old Complexity – […]
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