Easing Winter Pressures with Risk Stratification
It’s that time of year again. The nights are drawing in and there’s a chill in the air. And we all know how cold winter weather exacerbates respiratory conditions and vascular diseases, putting more people at risk of emergency hospital admissions and piling the pressure on A&E departments. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma are two conditions that can worsen during winter, particularly for the elderly.
According to the NHS England white paper ‘Understanding Winter Pressures’, of all the people who present at A&E, those aged 75 and over have a greater than 80% chance of emergency admission. And it is those requiring emergency admission who spend the most time in A&E. Read More…