This research is led by Liwei Mou as part of her PhD study. For more information about Liwei, view our PhD Fellowships page. 

 

 

What are we trying to do?

In England, emergency departments (also called A&E) are under tremendous pressure, so many interventions have been created or are being planned to help relieve these pressures. This PhD aims to understand what causes emergency department pressures and to identify interventions that can reduce them in a fair and effective way.

 

 

Why is it important?

In England, emergency care has been under pressure for a long time. Increasing life expectancy, a growing ageing population, and inappropriate visits to A&E have driven the surge in demand. Meanwhile, the decline in hospital beds and the rise in admission via A&E has limited hospital capacity. The situation is worse in winter than other seasons, generally described as “winter pressures”.

 

The combined pressures of supply and demand cause crowded A&E departments, which leads to a series of breakdowns in the health system, such as long waiting times in A&E. As a result, it significantly threatens public health and becomes a severe policy challenge.

 

 

How will we do it?

The PhD consists of four projects which aim to understand the problem and to evaluate policies related to emergency department pressures:

 

• The first project will increase understanding of where the key issues concerning A&E pressures lie. 
• Three empirical studies (based in observation or experience) will then be carried out to understand the composition of A&E demand, how it influences A&E performance, and how it relates to primary care. 

 

 

More information:

 

 

 

PhD Fellow

 

Liewi Mou

liwei.mou@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk