‘Misunderstandings’ over waiting times

Waiting times may be creeping up since targets and central monitoring were relaxed – but the data is not completely clear.

That is the verdict of John Appleby, chief economist at the King’s Fund health think thank, writing in the British Medical Journal.

He says that the huge drop in average waiting times is one of the most significant achievements for the NHS.

Figures for December 2010 show waits were down on the previous month, but the proportion of patients still waiting over 18 weeks for hospital treatment increased by more than the seasonal effect would predict.

Meanwhile, median waits for diagnostic services are now back to the level seen in December 2007, although this largely reflects a seasonal trend.

Appleby says the reductions in waiting times are highly valued by patients – even though the actual health effects are harder to measure.

He called the suspension of central performance management of the 18 week referral-to-treatment target, and the relaxation of the four hour A&E target, as “an interesting experiment in the power of alternative policy levers to bear down on waiting times”.

He concludes: “The coming months - and particularly the new financial year, when budgets get squeezed - will start to reveal some more consistent trends.”

The BBC reported a letter from NHS chief executive Sir David Nicholson to staff outlining “misunderstandings” over waiting times, saying patients still had to be seen within the 18-week target in England.

The letter stated: “In my travels around the service, I have encountered some misunderstandings about the Government's intentions in respect of waiting times.