Ian Higginson
@RCEMpresident
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Emergency Physician. RCEM President. PEM/BASICS/PHEM doc. Hon Assoc Prof UoP. Hate crowds except at our gigs. Some beats and all views since Sept 25 my own
The beautiful SW of England
Joined August 2010
Time to be Scrooge. Now the strikes are behind us that-which-shall-not-be-named is about to start … although I don’t hear the same level of concern being expressed …
“The recent industrial action has distracted from the fact that large parts of the NHS and social care system more or less shut down for several days over Christmas – and this just stores up trouble for the weeks ahead." RCEM President Dr Ian Higginson speaks ahead of the annual
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The dire state of corridor care and overcrowding in Northern Ireland’s EDs has been revealed following a new survey of lead consultants. Carried out on the morning of 8 December, across all nine all ages EDs, it revealed staff are dreading coming to work, departments are over
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"So-called ‘corridor care’ can only be stopped in the corridors of power" That's the message we hope MPs will take from the festive greetings cards RCEM has sent every single sitting member in the country. Read more here: https://t.co/aCuHPbRAj6
rcem.ac.uk
17/12/2025 - While people across the country are looking forward to the festive season, Emergency Departments are bracing for a gruelling few months.
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The APPG on Emergency Care’s report on corridor care, complied by The Royal College of Emergency Medicine, contains a raft of recommendations to address the crisis in Emergency Departments. The Health and Social Care Secretary has agreed to meet to discuss the report. Have you
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President Trump says it perfectly. A patchwork of 50 different state systems creates a maze of conflicting regulations, resulting in chaos. Follow me to join the conversation on leading the AI revolution.
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Perhaps the current focus on the vulnerability of our emergency care system could provide the final wake-up call needed to focus on it once we’ve got through this crisis. We were already in trouble, with no road map out, and ignored in the budget. Time to reconsider priorities?
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Difficult times for resident doctors in England because they are so dedicated & care deeply about patient care. In EM they go above and beyond despite the impossible working/training environment in our crowded EDs. Often undervalued, but the heartbeat and future of our speciality
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NI cares for more people in hospital corridors than elsewhere in the UK. @RCEMvp_NI @RCEMLearning @RCEMpresident More on this across @BBCNewsNI
bbc.co.uk
A study into hospitals across the UK found that one in three NI patients is treated in a corridor.
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Emergency Medicine resident doctors show their value, and how committed they are to patient safety, with this excellent research study showing the extent of corridor care in UK EDs during Mar 2025. @ternfellow @EMTAcommittee @RCollEM
The UK @ternfellow EDcorridor study is out! Key points 1. 1in5 are treated in ED escalation areas (eg corridors) 2. 10-25% of EDs have no available resus cubicle 3. The problem/solution is flow. More patients waiting for beds in ED than in corridors. https://t.co/r5wna1PDMP
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We welcome the commitment from the Secretary of Health and Social Care to fully eradicate corridor care by 2029. We now need to see words matched with action. https://t.co/vgVrtY1O8a
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“It's an abject political failure.” There has been “years” of failure to control emergency departments within the NHS, which has ultimately created “appalling corridor care”, says President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine @RCEMpresident. @KateEMcCann | #TimesRadio
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I'm only a humble ED doc but I can't help thinking that the problem in our EDs isn't caused by patients, it's caused by political failure. Last time I looked it wasn't patients with hiccups in my corridors, it was sick elderly patients who we couldn't get into a hospital bed
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"Behind these figures are the stories of hundreds of thousands of people who came to our departments seeking help in their most vulnerable moment, but were ultimately let down" Our response to new analysis from the @LibDems on A&E trolley waits:
rcem.ac.uk
02/12/2025 - Dr Ian Higginson, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, responds to new analysis of Emergency Department (ED) waiting times by the Liberal Democrat Party.
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Read RCEM's response to the General Medical Council's state of medical education and practice in the UK: workforce report 2025, here: https://t.co/vFEj4rAsD3
rcem.ac.uk
27/11/25 - Vice President of RCEM, Maya Naravi, responds to the General Medical Council's state of medical education and practice in the UK: workforce report 2025.
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Number of patients in England waiting more than 12 hours in ED last year > 1.7 million. Number of associated deaths estimated > 16000. Number of sentences in budget mentioning emergency care = 0. Just leaving it there.
rcem.ac.uk
27/11/25 - The government has taken some positive steps to bolster the NHS today – but the Autumn Budget doesn’t offer anything to address extremely long waiting times and so called ‘corridor care’...
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RCEM has backed a new statement from the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges calling for urgent action to protect and grow clinical research across the NHS. The statement urges governments to invest in research infrastructure, support research-active staff, and expand
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We’re thrilled to announce that 587 abstracts have been accepted for this year’s #RCEMAC26 — a record-breaking achievement! Congratulations to all authors, and thank you for submitting your incredible work. The conference space is set to be buzzing with posters and oral
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Hmm: how about hospitals and systems working efficiently across the working week, particularly where it drives flow? At the moment they slow down in the evenings and weekends. Creates problems. Can’t have an 8/5/261 culture in a 24/7/365 business.
theguardian.com
Re:State report says role hospitals play needs ‘fundamental reinvention’ to deliver better care for patients
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Bit of a long read but sets out some of the challenges now and ahead. https://t.co/oI2zrFZFGa
hospitalhealthcare.com
New RCEM president Dr Ian Higginson advocates for investment, structural reform and space for clinicians to innovate in emergency medicine.
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It’s a symptom of a dysfunctional system needing system solutions, not making ERs bigger. The back door is more of a problem than the front door. Bottlenecks for inpatient, LTC & mental health beds. Also, home care. @alandrummond2
cbc.ca
About half a million people left emergency departments across Canada before being seen by a doctor last year, according to data analysis by CBC’s Marketplace.
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Dr Rachel Jenner shares the value of implementing #ISTV in GreaterManchester, where it’s being used to great effect to target and delivercommunity-led interventions to those who need it most Also in this edition, the last recording in the short Podcast series on ISTV anda
rcem.ac.uk
Learn about the ISTV programme to improve data recording and reduce violence in Emergency Departments across the UK.
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