Barking Bliar's latest drive to cut waiting times for NHS operations

Tony Bliar yesterday stepped up the drive to define his legacy by declaring that he wanted to see "the framework" in place to ensure that by the end of 2008 no one waits more than 18 weeks for an operation after seeing the GP. The target- originally announced two and a half years ago implies an average wait of eight to nine weeks. How he intends to achieve this breakthrough without providing any extra money was not explained.

It would mean that over the course of a decade "what was the biggest problem in the National Health Service - that people had to wait months and months, often in pain and sometimes even dying for want of their operations" would have been "transformed", the prime minister said.

Some hospitals are considering keeping operating theatres open in the evenings and at weekends. But the NHS Confederation, which represents health authorities and trusts, said many hospitals would have "to completely redesign how patients flow through the system" to achieve the goal.

Nigel Edwards, the confederation's director of policy, also warned of the challenge that lay ahead as the increase in NHS spending slowed: to create the facilities to deal with the current backlog of cases without then leaving the NHS with higher costs or excess capacity once that had been done.

James Johnson, chairman of council of the British Medical Association, said there were two "stumbling blocks" to using operating theatres more intensively. One was how to staff them.

But the other was that "many parts of the NHS are broke. If primary care trusts have run out of money, they clearly cannot buy a lot more operations. This and the lack of staff have already prevented extended working from happening in many parts of the NHS."

Bliar's latest spin comes as news that some primary care trusts are delaying operations into the next financial year, or putting a minimum wait on treatment, while, according to suppliers, some parts of the NHS are paying bills late or cutting orders for supplies until the financial year ends in March.

While the NHS overall may achieve financial balance, a large number of hospitals and primary care trusts will be saddled both with overspends this year and years of accumulated debt.

The figures emerged as a doctors.net poll of more than 3,000 doctors for The Times showed that almost three-quarters believe that the extra money for the NHS has not been spent well. Some 28 per cent believe David Cameron would protect the NHS more effectively than would Gordon Brown, who is favoured by just 15 per cent. (Please see yesterday's Health Direct posting- Disillusioned doctors say Labour decade of reform has failed the NHS)

From:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/19ec376e-c089-11db-995a-000b5df10621.html

How Bliar intends to achieve his latest spin NHS target without providing any more money has not been explained.

Especially from an organisation that is desperately indulging in every trick in the financial book
to massage the cash flow figures.

On 14 Feb 07 in NHS paying bills late in struggle to balance books, say suppliers, Health Direct posted: The National Health Service is delaying paying bills and cutting orders for supplies as it tries to balance its books, according to the trade associations whose members supply the service with everything from scanners to diagnostic tests.

Ray Hodgkinson, director-general of the British Healthcare Trades Association, said that while the picture was highly variable "some of our members are having real trouble getting money out of NHS trusts".