Lib Dems reveal emergency doctor shortage in West Midlands

4.01.07pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 24th Apr 2003

Doctors are urgently needed in Accident and Emergency Wards.

Lib Dems reveal emergency doctor shortage in West Midlands

The Liberal Democrats have revealed the extent of the shortage of consultants working in Accident and Emergency wards nationwide.

The British Association of Accident and Emergency Medicine (BAEM) has stated that there should be 8 consultants in each A&E hospital ward, with a bare minimum of 3. However, in response to a written parliamentary question tabled by Dr Evan Harris MP, it was revealed that the average number in hospitals across England was 2.8.

Commenting on these figures, West Midlands Euro-MP Liz Lynne said:

"The statistics show that Shropshire and Staffordshire have the most understaffed A&E departments in England, with just 1.4 consultants per department. Even the Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire Strategic Health Authority will not be able to draw much solace from the figures – while the average number of consultants in each department is just a little more than what BAEM regards as the bare minimum, it suggests that individual wards are below even that."

Department of Health officials were unable to provide figures for each A&E department, because of "a risk that individual doctors could be identified". It is therefore impossible to tell the true scale of the problem.

"These figures show the extent to which years of underfunding have weakened accident and emergency services across England. The government has finally begun to recognise the problem now, but years of doggedly sticking to Tory spending plans will leave its toll for years to come."

"This problem will not be solved overnight, but the government must make it a priority. Accident and emergency wards are stressful places at the best of times and with so few consultants, patients lives are being put at risk."

Average number of hospital medical consultants with an Accident and Emergency specialty within trusts that have an Accident and Emergency department by Strategic Health Authority:

Birmingham and The Black Country: 2.9

Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire: 3.6

Shropshire and Staffordshire: 1.4

England: 2.8

NB Averages were calculated using the number (headcount) of A&E consultants within trusts that have A&E departments. Sources: Department of Health 2001 medical and dental workforce census; Department of Health form KH12, 2001-02.