NHS overspending increases waiting times for patients
Early signs that a big overspend in the National Health Service in England is starting to affect patient care came with the waiting list figures for January. Although the total list rose by only 7,600 in the month, up 1 per cent, the number of patients waiting between three and five months for treatment has jumped by 36,600 - 25 per cent. In other words, while the number of patients waiting has only risen slightly, the wait has increased.
That appears to have resulted from hospitals putting off treatment until the new financial year, which starts in April, while still keeping to the government's guarantee of a maximum six-month wait.
At the same time, some primary care trusts are telling hospitals that they must treat no more patients next financial year than this year, and in some cases fewer, to claw back an overspend that has been forecast to hit £790m by the end of this month.
Andrew Lansley, the Conservative health spokesman, said "[some] doctors are being told they cannot treat patients who are waiting in pain and discomfort until they reach the six months deadline. For a government that said it was going to put all this extra capacity into the NHS, and when the capacity becomes available then tells staff they cannot use it, it is the height of absurdity".
Patricia Hewitt, the health secretary, said that while "a minority of NHS organisations were facing financial challenges" the bigger picture still showed progress. She said the service continued to meet its key target of a maximum six-month wait - the average is eight weeks - and fewer operations were being cancelled.
"NHS reforms are delivering," she said. "While we continue to see a constant flow of negative speculation and surveys about the state of the NHS, the facts provided to us by the service tell a different story."
The Department of Health argues that despite the record deficit for the time of year, two-thirds of NHS organisations are in balance or have a financial surplus.
But John Appleby, chief economist at the King's Fund health think-tank, said the health department's goal that the service should make a surplus in the coming year to provide a financial buffer now looked unachievable.
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/9fbf975e-ab23-11da-8a68-0000779e2340.html
That appears to have resulted from hospitals putting off treatment until the new financial year, which starts in April, while still keeping to the government's guarantee of a maximum six-month wait.
At the same time, some primary care trusts are telling hospitals that they must treat no more patients next financial year than this year, and in some cases fewer, to claw back an overspend that has been forecast to hit £790m by the end of this month.
Andrew Lansley, the Conservative health spokesman, said "[some] doctors are being told they cannot treat patients who are waiting in pain and discomfort until they reach the six months deadline. For a government that said it was going to put all this extra capacity into the NHS, and when the capacity becomes available then tells staff they cannot use it, it is the height of absurdity".
Patricia Hewitt, the health secretary, said that while "a minority of NHS organisations were facing financial challenges" the bigger picture still showed progress. She said the service continued to meet its key target of a maximum six-month wait - the average is eight weeks - and fewer operations were being cancelled.
"NHS reforms are delivering," she said. "While we continue to see a constant flow of negative speculation and surveys about the state of the NHS, the facts provided to us by the service tell a different story."
The Department of Health argues that despite the record deficit for the time of year, two-thirds of NHS organisations are in balance or have a financial surplus.
But John Appleby, chief economist at the King's Fund health think-tank, said the health department's goal that the service should make a surplus in the coming year to provide a financial buffer now looked unachievable.
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/9fbf975e-ab23-11da-8a68-0000779e2340.html
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