Two thirds of NHS trusts have failed to hit their waiting list
target – to treat patients within 18 weeks - in each month since
the last General Election, new figures from the House of Commons
Library have shown.
The NHS Constitution says that patients should wait no longer
than 18 weeks from GP referral to treatment and Trusts are
supposed to ensure that 92% of patients are seen in that time
frame. But 114 Trusts haven't met this target since
2019, and 22 trusts haven't treated patients
within 18 weeks at any time since 2015.
Most Trusts have also failed to meet their A&E target, which
is that 95% of patients at A&E should wait less than 4 hours.
Only 10 Trusts have hit this target in any one month in
the last five years, excluding the national Covid
lockdown in 2020 when emergency rooms were relatively empty.
Some Trusts have not met their A&E target in more
than 10 years, with the University Hospitals of North
Midlands NHS Trusts, the worst performer, failing to meet the
four-hour standard since November 2013.
Trusts have fared a little better at meeting the NHS diagnostic
target, which says that 99% of patients who are waiting for a
diagnostic test or scan should be seen within six weeks. But
a third of trusts still haven't met this target since the
last General election, and the majority have failed to
do so since became Prime Minister.
Some Trusts have failed to meet any of the three targets
in almost a decade. University Hospitals Plymouth NHS
Trust has missed all the targets every month since 2015, while
Hull University teaching Hospitals Trust and Worcester Acute
Hospitals Trust have missed them all since 2016.
These findings blow a hole in the Conservatives' claim
that just a few poor performing trusts are dragging down the rest
of the health service.
A Department of Health and Social Care source told The Times in
March “Victoria [Atkins] believes that taxpayers, especially
younger ones, shouldn't have to stump up more money just because
an individual trust isn't delivering like others are. We are
holding trusts with the longest waits to account for the options
they are offering to patients to speed up care.”
The Health Secretary was challenged to name NHS trusts which are
meeting their targets on BBC Breakfast last month but failed to
do so. Not a single NHS trust is currently meeting its
4-hour A&E target.
Labour's plan to get back to safe waiting times within the first
term of government, meeting the 4-hour A&E waiting time
target, treatment within 18 weeks, and tests and scans within 6
weeks, includes:
- Delivering two million more operations and appointments at
evening and weekends each year
- Doubling the number of NHS scanners, buying new AI-enabled
scanners to diagnose faster and more accurately
- Reforming the NHS so it provides more care in the community
and stops people needing to go to hospital
- Delivering the NHS workforce plan, training thousands more
doctors and nurses a year
Labour's plans for more appointments and scanners will be paid
for by clamping down on tax avoidance and closing loopholes for
non-doms.
MP, Shadow Health and Social Care
Secretary, said:
“On Rishi Sunak's watch, record numbers of patients are left
waiting for hours on end in A&E when delays can cost lives.
Under the Conservatives, people can no longer trust the NHS to be
there for them when they need it.
“When Labour was last in government, patients were treated in
good time, and the maximum waiting time was cut from 18 months to
18 weeks. Labour will get patients treated on time with 2 million
more weekend and evening appointments, paid for by clamping down
on tax avoidance and closing loopholes for non-doms.
“It's time to stop the chaos, turn the page and start to rebuild.
The country needs change, and only Labour can get the NHS back on
its feet.”
Ends
Notes
Data sets included in the attached:
- Referral to treatment waiting times: the last time each
current trust had more than 92% of its waiting list under 18
weeks
- Diagnostic waiting times: the last month that each current
trust had less than 1% of its diagnostic waiting list waiting
over 6 weeks
- A&E waiting times: the last month that each current trust
recorded over 95% of patients spending under 4 hours in A&E
A Department of Health and Social Care source told The Times in
March “Victoria [Atkins] believes that taxpayers, especially
younger ones, shouldn't have to stump up more money just because
an individual trust isn't delivering like others are. We are
holding trusts with the longest waits to account for the options
they are offering to patients to speed up care.”https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/patients-on-long-nhs-waiting-lists-will-get-private-care-gcmz87nhx
The Health Secretary was challenged to name NHS trusts which are
meeting their targets on BBC Breakfast last month but failed to
do so. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politics-68788242
