Misleading write-up - it's true that there is a crisis in A&E, but this is not because of "soaring demand". The RCN report itself shows that A&E attendances are only 3% higher than in 2019, while 12+ hour waits are 8,033% higher. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

The poor outcomes in A&E are obvious to anyone who looks at the numbers or has simply been to an ED in the last few years. But as @policyskeptic.bsky.social has repeatedly argued, incorrect diagnoses of the *drivers* of poor outcomes are obstacles to solutions which will improve performance.

The data *in the report cited* is enough to disprove the hypothesis that poor performance is driven by increased demand. (See +3% attendances vs +8,033% in 12 hr waits) The real cause of long waits in A&E is poor patient flow, driven by operational dysfunction in other parts of hospitals.

The full RCN report is mixed. It's reasonable to highlight high bed occupancy rates as a driver of A&E problems. If there's nowhere to admit patients to, they're either stuck waiting for hours, receive (unsafe) corridor care, or are forced to leave before receiving treatment.

But it draws the wrong conclusions on workforce: worsening A&E performance has happened despite 30%+ increases in the number of nurses working in hospitals since 2019. RCN implies these increases are insufficient due to "increased demand". But, as we've seen, this is just incorrect!