Reducing preventable deaths: the role of data in addressing A&E delays
The latest Royal College of Emergency Medicine statistics highlight a stark reality. Latest figures show an estimated 16,644 excess deaths are linked to patients experiencing waits of 12 hours or longer before admission. This equates to 320 lives lost each week.
Further analysis shows that for every 72 patients enduring an 8–12-hour wait, one additional death occurs. Experts warn that these numbers may only represent part of the picture. Many patients do not make it into emergency departments due to ambulance delays and overcrowding.
These challenges, exacerbated by increasing demand and limited resources, are placing significant pressure on NHS staff, impacting morale, mental health, and burnout levels.
Reducing deaths with actionable insight
The current crisis in A&E is solvable. First-hand experience shows that improving patient flow through the healthcare system and ensuring staff have access to the right resources and facilities can make a meaningful difference.
However, to achieve this, NHS organisations need high-quality data analysis to inform decision-making. Many hospitals lack access to this insight, a challenge further compounded by a recognised skills shortage, a lack of experienced data analysts, or limited access to relevant, peer-level comparative data.
Archus Insight was designed to help NHS organisations access outsourced analytics and expert consultancy. By working together, we can uncover actionable insights to shape care planning, reduce A&E waiting times, prevent avoidable deaths, and improve overall health outcomes.
Archus Insight Maternity Module
We can analyse your mortality data to reduce preventable deaths:
- Better understanding the factors contributing to long A&E wait times
- Improve the flow of patients through emergency care services
- Introduce measures to reduce A&E waiting times and measure the impact of change over time
- Ensure A&E staff have access to the right resources and facilities to deliver timely care
- Identify quality and safety issues contributing to increased mortality
- Identify people at risk and better understand health inequalities, including social deprivation
- Reduce length of stay to free up more emergency beds
Benchmark against peers to discover realistic, actionable benefits
Understanding how mortality and A&E performance compare to relevant peer hospitals is critical for realistic and targeted improvements.
Archus Insight’s modular benchmarking programme analyses internal, local and national health data, alongside comparing your A&E mortality rates, and the factors influencing them, to relevant peers to facilitate mutual learning opportunities.
Our team of experts will compare your organisation to others with similar demographics, including geography, population size and more.
As part of comparative analysis, we’ll show you the tried and tested techniques undertaken by your comparable peers, highlighting which ones worked best and how successful they’ve been to inform care planning.
You'll be abele to see which improvements and initiatives are most likely to yield positive results, allowing you to make informed decisions with confidence.
Want to know more? Visit Archus Insight or email j.harries@archus.uk.com to schedule a call.
