Responding to the National Audit Office report on waiting times for
cancer and elective treatment, the director of policy and strategy
at NHS Providers, Miriam Deakin said:
“As the NAO report points out, the NHS is continuously treating
more people each year. An ageing population needing more complex
care is an important factor behind the growing demand for all
services, including emergency care.
“In this context of ever growing demand, coupled with years of
funding restraint and pressing workforce challenges, trusts are
struggling to meet all of their targets. The need to
prioritise urgent treatment for patients who are the most unwell
or the most at risk has unfortunately left more patients waiting
longer for routine and non-urgent surgery . However, it is right
that the service continues to prioritise those with the greatest
need.
“Trusts are committed to recovering performance against all of
the key standards, but we must acknowledge that there is a
significant gap between resources and current demand for services
that needs to be filled.
“As we have seen over the winter, the health and care system is
consistently running hot in terms of beds in use. But trusts have
worked hard to get people out of hospital and into care settings
in the community or closer to home faster. They have also taken
measures to improve the flow of patients through hospital
services and reduce the length of time patients stay in hospital.
“As we seek to implement the NHS long term plan we must be
realistic about how far the available resources will stretch
across competing priorities.”
