Table 1

Priority clinical standards for seven day services

StandardDescription
Time to first consultant reviewAll emergency admissions must be seen and have a thorough clinical assessment by a suitable consultant as soon as possible but at the latest within 14 hours from the time of arrival at hospital
Access to diagnosticsHospital inpatients must have scheduled 7 day access to diagnostic services such as x-ray, ultrasound, CT, MRI, echocardiography, endoscopy, bronchoscopy and pathology. Consultant directed diagnostic tests and completed reporting will be available 7 days a week:
  • Within 1 hour for critical patients

  • Within 12 hours for urgent patients

  • Within 24 hours for non-urgent patients

Access to consultant directed interventionsHospital inpatients must have timely 24 hour access, 7 days a week, to consultant directed interventions that meet the relevant specialty guidelines, either on site or through formally agreed networked arrangements, with clear protocols, such as:
  • Critical care

  • Interventional radiology

  • Interventional endoscopy

  • Emergency general surgery

Ongoing review(A) All patients on the AMU, ASU and ITU, and other high dependency areas, are seen and reviewed by a consultant TWICE DAILY (including all acutely ill patients directly transferred and others who deteriorate)
(B) Once transferred from the acute area of the hospital to a general ward, patients should be reviewed during a consultant delivered ward round at least ONCE EVERY 24 hours, 7 days a week, unless it has been determined that this would not affect the patient’s care pathway.
  • AMU, acute medical unit ; ASU, acute surgical assessment unit; ITU, intensive therapy unit.

  • Descriptions quoted from NHS England.25