Quick guides: transforming urgent and emergency care services in England

"NHS England and partners have published a series of quick guides to support local health and care systems. The guides provide practical tips, case studies and links to useful documents, which can be used to implement solutions to commonly experienced issues. Use the information to manage upcoming winter pressures and plan for 2016 and beyond."

• Better use of care at home 
• Clinical input to care homes 
• Identifying local care home placements
• Improving hospital discharge into the care sector 
• Technology in care homes
• Sharing patient information 

Quick guide: Transforming urgent and emergency care services in England
NHS England
2015

All six guides can be accessed here.

The Flex Track: Flexible Partitioning between Low- and High-Acuity Areas of an Emergency Department

"Using discrete-event simulation, we have shown that adding some flexibility into bed allocation between low- and high-acuity can provide substantial reductions in overall patient waiting and a more efficient ED [Emergency Department]."

The Flex Track: Flexible Partitioning between Low- and High-Acuity Areas of an Emergency Department
LF Laker, CM Froehle, CJ Lindsell, MJ Ward
Annals of Emergency Medicine. 2014; 64(6): 591–603. doi:  10.1016/j.annemergmed.2014.05.031

Read more here.

NHS hospitals under pressure: trends in acute activity up to 2022

"In this analysis we look at trends in admissions and bed use over the last few years, and use population projections to explore the likely pressures on hospitals in the future."

NHS hospitals under pressure: trends in acute activity up to 2022
P Smith, A McKeon, I Blunt, N Edwards
Nuffield Trust
October 2014

Read more here.

Emergency bed use: what the numbers tell us

"Using hospital beds more efficiently could save the NHS at least £1 billion a year and deliver benefits for patients."


Emergency bed use: what the numbers tell us
The King's Fund
December 2011

Read more here.