In January 2007 the BMA Emergency Medicine Subcommittee together with the British Association for Emergency Medicine commissioned a survey to gather information about the impact of the national incentive scheme to reduce waiting times in emergency medicine departments.
From the results of the survey it is clear that many staff worked incredibly hard to improve patient care and that some departments had been able to use money from the incentive scheme to purchase equipment which could bring further benefits to patients. Nonetheless, the survey revealed a number of areas of concern.