Paramedics take an extra nine minutes to get patients to hospital in areas where A&E departments have been shut or downgraded.
That’s the finding of new research, which says NHS cut-backs are causing ‘disruption’ and ‘anxiety’ for people who are forced to travel longer distances to get urgent care.
The study, published in Health Services and Delivery Research on Tuesday, is the first of its kind to look into the impact of closures on both patients and emergency services.
It comes after seven A&E departments were downgraded in recent years to help save the NHS £22billion. A further seventeen may follow suit in the coming years.
Consequences: Patients spend almost ten extra minutes travelling to an emergency rooms
The five departments analysed in the study – Newark, Rochdale, Hartlepool, Bishop Auckland and Hemel Hempstead – were downgraded between 2009 and 2011.
The researchers evaluated their efficiency both two years prior – and two years after – they were downgraded by NHS bosses.
They were then compared with five others hospitals that acted as controls.
In addition to the extra 9 minute extra travel time, researchers also found an increase in ambulance incidents across the five areas, suggesting the closures have contributed to a higher workload for paramedics, who spend longer with patients.
However, there was no rise or fall in death rates.
Co-author of the study, Professor Jon Nicholl, of the School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR) at Sheffield University, said the NHS could be wasting its time with the controversial down-grades.
‘It’s important to highlight we didn’t find the better outcomes for patients planners hoped to see from closing these small departments either,’ he said.
‘This means it isn’t clear that the disruption and anxiety that can be caused by closing emergency departments is worthwhile.’
Closures: It comes after seven A&E departments were downgraded in recent years
With further closures planned the report funded and published by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) sheds fresh slight on the controversial issue.
Dr Knowle, also of ScHARR, said: ‘The public, in particular, require reassurance the closure or downgrade of an ED (emergency department) does not result in increased death rates.
‘The report suggests any negative effects caused by an increase in journey time to an ED can be offset by other factors.
‘For example, if new specialised services are introduced or if the care received at the now nearest hospital is more effective than that provided at the hospital where the ED closed.’
It’s estimated up about one-in-seven A&Es in England could be closed or downgraded in the coming years – affecting 33 hospitals.
Earlier this year figures released by NHS England found A&E waiting times are at their worst level since records began in 2004.
Only 84.5 per cent of patients were seen within the target four hours. At some hospitals more than a third wait four or more hours to be seen.