Survival rates in critical care improving says new report

More people are surviving life-threatening injuries and illnesses as a result of the specialist care they receive in Welsh critical care units, a new report published today reveals.

The second all-Wales annual report on critical care services shows that survival rates for people receiving treatment in critical care units are increasing in Wales.

The report also highlights the progress made in critical care services and the priorities for improvement.

Almost 10,000 people in Wales receive critical care every year in Wales. Demand for this specialist treatment has risen steadily – in 2011-12 there were almost 9,000 admissions and in 2014-15 there were more than 9,700 admissions; an 8% increase –and demand is set to rise further, partly because of Wales’ ageing population.

Areas of progress highlighted in the report include:

• Survival rates are improving, with 83% of patients discharged to another ward in 2014-15, up from 79% in 2011-12
• Re-admissions to critical care within 48 hours are very low – less than 1% of all people discharged from critical care. This highlights that ward-based care and the discharge process are effective
• Significant improvements have been made in the safe transfer of critically-ill patients who need to move between hospitals as a result of training and continuous audit – 78% of all transfers are graded as good or excellent.

Areas for improvement include:

• The average length of stay in critical care units has been increasing steadily over time, from 114 hours in 2010 to 130 hours in 2014 (October to December)
• Two-thirds of patients experienced a delay when they were ready to be discharged from critical care by more than four hours during 2013-14
• More than 138,000 critical care bed hours were lost in 2014 as a result of these delayed transfers of care – this is equivalent to 16 critical care beds
• In 2014, 94% of all non-clinical transfers in Wales were due to a lack of a critical care bed
• Percentage bed occupancy has been consistently above the 70% recommended rate by the Intensive Care Society.

The Welsh Government has set health boards a target to reduce delayed transfers of care in critical care units by 10% per quarter.

Deputy Minister for Health Vaughan Gething said:

“This report highlights some of the excellent work taking place in critical care units and hospitals across Wales. The findings illustrate the quality of critical care being provided, and how survival rates are increasing.

“It shows our commitment to transparency and sets out where the NHS is doing well and where it needs to improve. Information like this is an important part of making sure we support continuous improvement in services so we can make sure people of all ages, wherever they live and whatever their circumstances have access to excellent NHS critical care.

“The report also identifies areas where more rapid improvement is needed and health boards must make sure they have robust plans in place to drive out inefficiencies in the system, such as delayed transfers of care.”