22.03.12
Ticking the boxes
The balance between creating enough pressure to ensure waiting time targets are met but avoiding the kind of manipulation uncovered at NHS Lothian, with staff more concerned with ticking boxes than making sure treatment is offered to patients in a timely fashion.
Keeping strict targets and disincentives for failure to comply with these are good ways to promote better performance. Yet these targets must be realistic and achievable, with enough flexibility to understand when a hospital needs additional support to continue good practice.
When the targets become separated from what they set out to achieve, they lose all value and can become detrimental to patient care, as well as stressful to employees.
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