Not just a matter of time: a review of urgent and emergency care services in England

The Healthcare Commission has published a review covering all urgent and emergency services, which for the first time assesses how the whole system works together. The review includes ambulance services, A&E, out-of-hours GP services, NHS Direct, urgent care provided by GPs, and urgent care centres including walk-in centres and minor injuries units. It has awarded a rating for these services within 152 localities, set by the boundaries of the PCTs, the bodies responsible for commissioning local NHS services. The review found that the majority of services are performing well, with 60% of PCT areas scoring the top two ratings. 33% of local areas are rated as ‘best’ performing (50 areas) and 27% as ‘better’ performing (41 areas). 22% are ‘fair’ performing (33 areas) and 18% are rated as ‘least well’ performing (28 areas). Additional documentation is also available. (Healthcare Commission - press release) [DH - press release]