UK

Citation

(2006), "UK", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 19 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhcqa.2006.06219dab.004

UK

NHS takes next step in tackling hidden waiting lists published

Keywords: Healthcare access, Patient pathways, Technological advancement

Health Minister Rosie Winterton today announced the next step in helping the NHS deliver the fastest ever access to NHS hospital treatment.

Eight “pioneer” health communities have been chosen to help the NHS deliver a maximum wait of 18 weeks from GP referral to treatment. The pioneers will kick off their work by developing simple and effective ways of measuring referral to treatment times – capturing everything including hidden waits for diagnostics. From there, they will look at how they can reorganise their systems so that patients can get through all the stages of the patient pathway within 18 weeks.

The new pioneer sites are:

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  East Kent (East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust, Ashford PCT, Canterbury PCT, East Kent Coastal PCT and Shepway PCT);

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  Gateshead (Gateshead Health NHS FT and Gateshead PCT);

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  Huntingdonshire (Hinchingbrook Healthcare NHS Acute Trust, Huntingdonshire PCT, Norfolk and Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA);

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  King’s (King’s College Hospital NHS Trust, Southwark PCT and SE London SHA);

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  North Nottinghamshire (Newark and Sherwood PCT, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust, Trent SHA, Mansfield District PCT, Ashfield PCT and Bassetlaw PCT);

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  Oldham (North East Sector/Greater Manchester: five PCTs and one large acute Trust);

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  Royal Devon & Exeter (Exeter, East and Mid Devon PCTs, Royal Devon and Exeter NHS FT); and

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  South Bedfordshire (Luton PCT, Bedfordshire Heartland PCT, Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Trust, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA).

The minister stated that the NHS has already cut the maximum wait for in-patient treatment to six months. Some said it could not be done and the NHS has proved them wrong.

Now the NHS is stepping up to an even bigger challenge. It is ending hidden waiting lists for things like diagnostics procedures and ensuring the whole patient pathway is measured and managed as one. This, coupled with the choice of hospitals now offered to all, will give patients the type of access only previously enjoyed by those who could afford to pay for it.

The new 18 week patient pathway will be an historic change to the way in which the NHS tackles waiting lists. While 18 weeks will be the maximum wait for the vast majority of patients, the aim is to ensure that most patient journeys are much shorter than this.

In a further boost to the NHS’ on-going efforts to tackle diagnostic waiting lists, the Department of Health also announced today that the NHS had met its target of recruiting an extra 1,000 radiographers.

More than 1,400 additional radiographers and radiography assistants are now working in the NHS compared to 2003. This is excellent news. It shows that extra investment means more staff, and this, together with the historic reforms we are delivering, will ultimately mean a better NHS for all.

Ministers also pointed to the new picture archiving and communications system (PACS) as another way of helping to reduce diagnostic waits and a contribution to the delivery of the maximum 18 week patient pathway. PACS enables images such as X-rays and scans to be stored electronically and viewed on video screens. It allows doctors and other health professionals to view the images at the touch of the button, wherever and whenever they need to.

The minister concluded that good progress is being made in rolling out PACS to all NHS trusts in England. Currently, 21 systems are up and running.

For more information: www.dh.gov.uk