Welcome to episode six of the Clinical Communiqué podcast, titled 'Access Block'.

This podcast is based on the June 2021 edition of the Clinical Communiqué.

In this podcast episode we look at the problem of access block, a major barrier to delivering safe and timely care to patients in hospitals. We present four cases that demonstrate how the negative consequences of access block are far-reaching and affect every stage of a patient’s journey through the healthcare system.

Our expert commentary is about the lessons learned from the cases in this episode, and looks at the role every clinician can play in addressing such a systemic and pervasive and preventable problem.

Episode Contents

• 04:15 Editorial by Dr Nicola Cunningham

• 10:35 Case #1: Alone in a crowded space

• 20:03 Case #2: The long wait

• 27:44 More on the matter by Dr Nicola Cunningham: Outing the problem

• 34:53 Expert Commentary by Dr Simon Judkins: A system under pressure