27.09.12
Care set to worsen and struggle for savings predicted
The NHS will struggle to achieve the £20bn efficiency savings required by 2015, new research indicates.
The King’s Fund quarterly survey of NHS finances questioned 45 finance directors about the NHS’s performance and the likelihood of hitting Government targets.
Of the 45, 27 believed that there was a high or very high risk that the NHS would not meet the total target of £20bn in 2015. However, most suggested that the savings for this year were being found without damaging care.
Additionally, 19 of the panel said they expected care to worsen over the next few years, with only eight believing it would get better.
And while the proportion of patients spending more than four hours in A&E has dropped compared to the last two quarters, it is still at the highest level for this quarter since 2004-05.
The report reads: “The national figures also mask variation in local performance, with 35 hospitals breaching the government's target that no more than 5% of patients should spend longer than four hours in A&E”.
Chief economist John Appleby said: “The NHS continues to perform well in the second year of the productivity challenge. But there are signs that future years will be harder. The end of the public sector pay freeze next April may add to financial pressures and increase the strain on services. The difficulty for local providers will be finding ways to absorb these costs without compromising the quality of care for patients.”
But the health minister, Lord Howe, said: “The NHS is on track to achieve it’s up to £20bn savings target. The NHS made good progress delivering £5.8bn of savings in 2011-12 while improving care for patients – waiting times have been kept low, infections have been reduced, there are more doctors, more diagnostic tests and more planned operations.
“Latest figures show that on average patients waited only 51 minutes for treatment in A&E. Patients are spending longer in A&E, but they are not left untreated during this time.
“In fact, A&Es are providing a more comprehensive service, with specialist expertise, than has historically been the case. This means that some patients get the best treatment for them in A&E and so spend longer there.”
Tell us what you think – have your say below, or email us directly at [email protected]