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| Jeremy Hunt revises NHS performance targets to remove 'perverse incentives' | Jeremy Hunt revises NHS performance targets to remove 'perverse incentives' |
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| The health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has outlined changes to the way the results of controversial performance targets such as waiting times for A&E and cancer treatment are published. | |
| Hunt, speaking at the NHS Confederation’s annual conference in Liverpool, agreed a “much more consistent approach” was needed to make sense of the figures and ensure they are helping patients. | Hunt, speaking at the NHS Confederation’s annual conference in Liverpool, agreed a “much more consistent approach” was needed to make sense of the figures and ensure they are helping patients. |
| He referred to a letter written by NHS England’s national medical director, Sir Bruce Keogh, which said a “confusing set of standards” was leading to “perverse incentives” regarding the 18-week target for patients from when they are referred by their GP to when they receive treatment. | |
| He suggested two out of three parts of the 18-week referral to treatment time (RTT) be abolished while recommending a pilot testing the effectiveness of an eight-minute deadline for ambulances to respond to emergency calls be extended. | |
| His recommendations have been accepted by the NHS, and other changes will mean that A&E, cancer and RTT targets – which were published at different times either weekly, monthly or quarterly – will now be released together each month. | |
| NHS England said the two indicators being scrapped penalised hospitals for treating patients who had waited longer than 12 weeks, while the one that will remain is the only measure that captures the experience of every patient waiting. | NHS England said the two indicators being scrapped penalised hospitals for treating patients who had waited longer than 12 weeks, while the one that will remain is the only measure that captures the experience of every patient waiting. |
| Responding to the announcement, the shadow health secretary, Andy Burnham, said it demonstrated the NHS is “going backwards under David Cameron and waiting lists are at a seven-year high”. | Responding to the announcement, the shadow health secretary, Andy Burnham, said it demonstrated the NHS is “going backwards under David Cameron and waiting lists are at a seven-year high”. |
| “Patients will wonder how scrapping these standards will help improve that situation,” he added. “The government should be trying to get things back on track and ensure patients have quicker access to treatment, rather than focusing on moving the goalposts.” | “Patients will wonder how scrapping these standards will help improve that situation,” he added. “The government should be trying to get things back on track and ensure patients have quicker access to treatment, rather than focusing on moving the goalposts.” |
| Labour said one of the targets being scrapped, the admitted adjusted target – that 90% of admitted patients should start consultant-led treatment within 18 weeks of referral – has been missed for nine out of the last 12 months. | Labour said one of the targets being scrapped, the admitted adjusted target – that 90% of admitted patients should start consultant-led treatment within 18 weeks of referral – has been missed for nine out of the last 12 months. |
| Hunt told delegates the NHS is facing “a very, very challenging period in its history”, before setting out a series of changes he wants to see. | Hunt told delegates the NHS is facing “a very, very challenging period in its history”, before setting out a series of changes he wants to see. |
| “Most of these efficiencies are going to take a huge amount of effort from the people in this room,” he said. “Bruce Keogh today has written a very important letter that points out the inconsistencies in the way we publish performance data with A&E figures published weekly, RTT monthly and cancer quarterly. | “Most of these efficiencies are going to take a huge amount of effort from the people in this room,” he said. “Bruce Keogh today has written a very important letter that points out the inconsistencies in the way we publish performance data with A&E figures published weekly, RTT monthly and cancer quarterly. |
| “And he has said that we need to have a much more consistent approach, published all monthly on the same day, and also include the safety statistics in that. And that way I think we can have much more consistency in the way we report performance.” | “And he has said that we need to have a much more consistent approach, published all monthly on the same day, and also include the safety statistics in that. And that way I think we can have much more consistency in the way we report performance.” |
| While 95% of patients who go to A&E are meant to be admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours, the target had been missed for 33 consecutive weeks until the most recent figures came out on Monday, when it was hit for the first time since September. | While 95% of patients who go to A&E are meant to be admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours, the target had been missed for 33 consecutive weeks until the most recent figures came out on Monday, when it was hit for the first time since September. |
| The different targets were brought in under the Labour government a decade ago and have proved to bring down waiting times overall. | The different targets were brought in under the Labour government a decade ago and have proved to bring down waiting times overall. |