Quality of care in A&E is the issue--not speed.

The Audit Commission's new report into A&E services has produced a strong case for enhancing nursing's role in A&E. This paper, by a nurse member of the commission's study team, explains how the influential report backs nurses' efforts to extend their scope of practice. The report criticises the Patient's Charter's initial assessment standard, saying attention should be focused on how well, rather than simply how quickly, A&E patients are assessed and treated.