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04/08/2005
NHS waiting target ‘may be missed’
The government may miss its target to reduce waiting lists to 18 weeks, a new report has warned.
The report, by independent charitable foundation the King’s Fund, said that there are “many constraints,” which mean that the target to reduce patients’ waiting times from GP appointment to hospital treatment to 18 weeks by 2008, may not be met.
The report also warned the government to examine policies such as payment by results and the extension of patient choice, suggesting that they were “potentially destabilising”.
Even if the 18-week target was met, however, the Kings Fund said that it would not be the ‘end of waiting’ that the government claimed. The report said that the government also needed to look at the potential costs and benefits of reducing waits even further, as well as develop policies to remove variation in access to services and differences in the quality of clinical practices.
Anthony Harrison, author of the report said: "The government is moving in the right direction on waiting times but should use the next two to three years to prepare to go further. Waiting time targets are based on assumptions that are rarely made explicit: namely that the right people are being identified and referred for the right treatment at the right time.
"Yet we know that access to some non-emergency surgical treatments is lower for people from poorer communities compared to those who are better off, and that the clinical criteria by which patients are treated vary from area to area and even doctor to doctor. More work is needed to determine the scale of the current variations, the reasons for them and the policies likely to be effective in tackling them.”
However, the report acknowledged that much progress had been made in tackling hospital waiting lists. Labour inherited a waiting list of 1.3 million and a maximum waiting time of 18 months when it came to power in 1997. The number has now been reduced to 800,000.
However, King's Fund chief executive Niall Dickson said: "Nothing should be taken for granted. The sheer number of patients to treat, the worsening financial climate, the uncertain impact of payment by results and choice, and shortages of staff in key areas all present real challenges for the government and the NHS."
Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: "We need to know how the 18 week target is going to be measured before discussing if the target will be met. The Government has a bad track record of producing a full and rounded picture when it comes to waiting times. A shorter wait in one area has led to longer waits in other areas. What we need is flexibility so that patients are treated according to need, not some political target. This would enable hospitals to fast-track more serious cases over non-urgent ones".
(KMcA/SP)
The report, by independent charitable foundation the King’s Fund, said that there are “many constraints,” which mean that the target to reduce patients’ waiting times from GP appointment to hospital treatment to 18 weeks by 2008, may not be met.
The report also warned the government to examine policies such as payment by results and the extension of patient choice, suggesting that they were “potentially destabilising”.
Even if the 18-week target was met, however, the Kings Fund said that it would not be the ‘end of waiting’ that the government claimed. The report said that the government also needed to look at the potential costs and benefits of reducing waits even further, as well as develop policies to remove variation in access to services and differences in the quality of clinical practices.
Anthony Harrison, author of the report said: "The government is moving in the right direction on waiting times but should use the next two to three years to prepare to go further. Waiting time targets are based on assumptions that are rarely made explicit: namely that the right people are being identified and referred for the right treatment at the right time.
"Yet we know that access to some non-emergency surgical treatments is lower for people from poorer communities compared to those who are better off, and that the clinical criteria by which patients are treated vary from area to area and even doctor to doctor. More work is needed to determine the scale of the current variations, the reasons for them and the policies likely to be effective in tackling them.”
However, the report acknowledged that much progress had been made in tackling hospital waiting lists. Labour inherited a waiting list of 1.3 million and a maximum waiting time of 18 months when it came to power in 1997. The number has now been reduced to 800,000.
However, King's Fund chief executive Niall Dickson said: "Nothing should be taken for granted. The sheer number of patients to treat, the worsening financial climate, the uncertain impact of payment by results and choice, and shortages of staff in key areas all present real challenges for the government and the NHS."
Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: "We need to know how the 18 week target is going to be measured before discussing if the target will be met. The Government has a bad track record of producing a full and rounded picture when it comes to waiting times. A shorter wait in one area has led to longer waits in other areas. What we need is flexibility so that patients are treated according to need, not some political target. This would enable hospitals to fast-track more serious cases over non-urgent ones".
(KMcA/SP)
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06 July 2005
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Patients would prefer to wait for better hospital treatment, rather than go to a hospital with shorter waiting lists. A study, conducted by RAND Europe, the King’s Fund and City University, found that patients were more likely to choose to be treated at a hospital with a good reputation rather than one that has shorter waiting times.
12 November 2004
NHS waiting lists fall to 17-year low
The total number of people on NHS waiting lists has fallen to its lowest level in 17 years, according to statistics published today. The department of health figures revealed that those on waiting lists dropped by 4,500 to 856,600 in September this year.
NHS waiting lists fall to 17-year low
The total number of people on NHS waiting lists has fallen to its lowest level in 17 years, according to statistics published today. The department of health figures revealed that those on waiting lists dropped by 4,500 to 856,600 in September this year.
30 July 2003
Government target 'failing' breast cancer patients
The government’s two-week target is failing to have the hoped-for impact on waiting times for breast cancer treatment, according to a study published in the British Journal of Cancer today. The target – set in April 1999 – aims for all women referred urgently by their GP with suspected breast cancer to see a hospital consultant within a fortnight.
Government target 'failing' breast cancer patients
The government’s two-week target is failing to have the hoped-for impact on waiting times for breast cancer treatment, according to a study published in the British Journal of Cancer today. The target – set in April 1999 – aims for all women referred urgently by their GP with suspected breast cancer to see a hospital consultant within a fortnight.
14 November 2011
Lansley Criticised Over Minimum Wait Ban
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has come under criticism on Monday after banning Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) from enforcing minimum waiting times on referrals. Mr Lanley claimed the move was in the interests of "patient choice", while he also announced caps on operations that "do not take account of the healthcare needs of individual patients".
Lansley Criticised Over Minimum Wait Ban
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has come under criticism on Monday after banning Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) from enforcing minimum waiting times on referrals. Mr Lanley claimed the move was in the interests of "patient choice", while he also announced caps on operations that "do not take account of the healthcare needs of individual patients".
26 August 2005
NHS waiting list drops to new low
Official figures released today have revealed that waiting lists for NHS operations have reached the lowest level since 1988, when the current system of collating waiting list figures was adopted. As of July 31, 813,700 people were awaiting an operation, this is a fall of almost 60,000 (6.9%) on the same time last year.
NHS waiting list drops to new low
Official figures released today have revealed that waiting lists for NHS operations have reached the lowest level since 1988, when the current system of collating waiting list figures was adopted. As of July 31, 813,700 people were awaiting an operation, this is a fall of almost 60,000 (6.9%) on the same time last year.
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:It will be cloudy again throughout the day. Mainly dry in the morning, but patchy drizzle in places, becoming more widespread and persistent in the afternoon. Freshening southwesterly winds. Maximum temperature 12 °C.Tonight:Cloudy with a spell of heavy rain pushing south through late evening and the early hours, followed by some clear spells. Minimum temperature 6 °C.
