Acute care services across England are struggling to meet increasing demand and the complexity of patients’ conditions, a new report has said.

The report by The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) found that standards were falling in hospitals due to an increase in emergency admissions, the treatment of elderly patients with a variety of conditions and a reduction in the amount of beds.

Professor Tim Evans, from the RCP, said the evidence was “very distressing” and the Government must make “drastic changes” to improve standards of acute care.

The survey of RCP fellows found that doctors were most concerned about staff shortages, the workload in acute medicine, a lack of continuity of care, and the impact of NHS efficiency savings.

Doctors also raised concerns about how older patients were transferred between wards and that levels of care dropped at night time.

The report suggested that the NHS has been a victim of own success. Contemporary medicines are now allowing people to live longer, but this has resulted in them developing long-term conditions such dementia.

“All hospital patients deserve to receive safe, high-quality sustainable care centred around their needs,” said Professor Evans. “Yet it is increasingly clear that our hospitals are struggling to cope with the challenge of an ageing population who increasingly present to our hospitals with multiple, complex diseases.”

Solutions to tackle the problems, the report said, include concentrating services in fewer, larger sites that are able to provide excellent standards of care, regardless of the time of admission. The report also advises improving community services to stop patients returning to hospital.

Health minister Dr Dan Poulter said it is “completely wrong” to suggest the NHS is struggling to meet demand and insisted that the “NHS only uses approximately 85% of the beds it has available”.

“It is true that the NHS needs fundamental reform to cope with the challenges of the future,” he said. “To truly provide dignity in care for older people, we need to see even more care out of hospitals. That’s why we are modernising the NHS and putting the people who best understand patient's needs, doctors and nurses, in charge.”

Dorset CCG has outlined proposals for developing local dementia care, including new early diagnosis and intermediate care services.

The CCG, which will replace Dorset’s two PCTs, has asked for responses to its proposals from care professionals and the public.

Meeting the mental health needs of elderly people has been identified as a significant priority for the region by the CCG, which has consulted with the Alzheimer’s Society, Age UK and Help and Care.

By March 2013, the CCG plans to implement four proposals for dementia care across Dorset, Bournemouth and Poole:

• A dedicated Memory Assessment and Early Diagnosis service.

• An Intermediate Care Service providing a same-day response for patients at home.

• All NHS dementia inpatient care to be consolidated at Alderney Hospital.

• Increased specialist input to community services and care homes.

Dr Denise Cope, Associate Medical Director at Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust, commented that these proposals “will enable more people to be cared for in the most appropriate setting, leading to a reduction in time spent in hospital and more focus on people living independently in their own homes.”

“We have sought the views of local residents and are now keen to implement the proposals,” said Dr Forbes Watson, Chair of Dorset CCG. “We hope to start making the changes to be ready for the new services to be in place next year.”

Serco has been contracted to provide NHS community health services to 600,000 patients in Suffolk.

The service company will take over the provision of adult community services, specialist children’s services and community hospitals from NHS Suffolk by the autumn.

As the prime contractor, Serco will deliver services in partnership with South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (SEPT), Marie Curie Cancer Care, Bedford Community Dental Services and University Hospital Birmingham. It will take on staff from the current NHS provider organisation, Suffolk Community Healthcare.

According to Serco, the company will employ “a unique model of delivery” to improve access to services for rural communities in Suffolk.

Dr Paul Watson, Chief Executive of NHS Suffolk, said: “Serco has provided us with a detailed proposal, giving rigorous evidence of its experience as a service provider and its vision and innovative plans for further improving our community services.”

“Over the coming years, primary care colleagues from across Suffolk will be working closely with Serco, NHS Suffolk and our acute hospital trusts so that we can make sure patients receive truly integrated, joined-up services,” said Dr Paul Bethell, a GP involved in the selection process.

Paul Forden, Serco’s Managing Director of Acute & Community Services, commented: “Our integrated model of care is possible by bringing together the best of the NHS, voluntary and private sector. We believe that our partnership approach brings the vision, expertise and capacity to make Community Health in Suffolk a truly exemplary service.”