What are some of the pressures that face the NHS, and how does this affect our doctors?

There are many pressures facing our NHS, including the ageing population, and overcrowding. We find that with the increasing life expectancy of people in the UK, they will likely develop multiple conditions; leading to complicated, and often expensive treatment plans. This will continue to stretch the NHS budget alongside causing difficulties for doctors when advising treatments, as memory problems in elderly people make polypharmacy a high risk option for them.
Also, overcrowding is an issue. Here, ‘Exit Block’ can occur, where patients who are in A&E cannot have access to a hospital inpatient bed. The delays in discharges from hospital wards contribute to this and can create dangerous situations for many patients. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine finds this to be unacceptable, as doctors cannot continue to deal with the influx of patients into A&E with their beds occupied by patients who need moving to an inpatient bed. These pressures will damage the NHS and potentially exhaust the doctors, whilst also putting patients at risk.