Paul Galloway asked:
PA>Same noises all over the country it seems as the salami slicing continues.
PA>Does anyone believe this "huge increase" in emergency work ?
Yes, the stats are there though it does vary area by area.
PA>I am doing on
PA>calls like most, and I would have thought I would notice it ! Is it just an
PA>artifact of data collection and definitions ? After all when my patient
PA>self refers with sprained wrist and then sees A&E, Ortho and has a quick
PA>check of their asthma from the passing physician that's 3 consultant
PA>episodes to a Trust, but only one SHO in days of old.
No, one admission is one admission, but of cause may be more
than one FCE (finished consultant episode)
PA>I can't think of the type of cases which are now acute admissions, but
PA>would have been managed at home or as cold cases 5 years ago. Certainly not
PA>enough to support the hospital stats.
Suffolk Health did some nationally funded work. As always in
medicine, it is multi-factorial, but general lowering of
threshold (by GPs and patients), increasing expectation,
medico-legal fears and better medicine were the main factors
identified.
The hospital felt that very little was inappropriate.
(Yes, expensive way of proving what we GPs knew)
I bet you are admitting more. Did you admit all MIs, even
elderly in days gone bye? Fractious kids go in 'cos of
meningitis fears, and I certainly believe that "gone of their
feet" get better quicker if they go in asap.
etc., etc..
______________________________________________________________
Dr. David Jobson
The Surgery, Main St Surgery Tel +44 (0)1728 830526
Leiston Surgery Fax 832029
Suffolk Home Tel 831100
IP16 4JG email [log in to unmask]
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