Responding to plans to reform elective care for patients
in England, Nuffield Trust Chief Executive Thea Stein said:
“Today's plan to tackle the NHS waiting list shows
the government is serious about changing how planned health care
is delivered in the long-term, with its emphasis on crucial
developments such as moving planned treatment into hub settings
and expanding patient access through more diagnostic tests,
streamlined processes and digital innovation.
“Many of the specific measures announced are good on paper and
have some evidence behind them. But innovation and creating new
services will take time, resource and money. The plan today has
been announced with little firm detail on how it will be paid
for, other than revealing that the £3bn ring-fenced for cutting
waiting times this current financial year will not be available
from April.
“Expanded diagnostic and surgical hubs and other new services
will need to carefully balance NHS and independent sector
resources, and trusts and networks will have to ensure hubs don't
unintentionally pull staff and resources away from urgent care
and more complicated patient needs.
“A more powerful patient is what everyone wants. Clear
information, ongoing communication and reassurances for patients
are really important. Coherent standards and a focus on
monitoring should be welcomed, and a more developed NHS App will
provide some efficiencies. But all of these improvements will
ultimately take time, and more money.
“Hospital trusts face a considerable challenge ahead as they try
to enhance and implement these new measures at scale, with
improved access for patients, but with even tighter funding than
in recent years.
“For the plan to be sustainable, and not simply a process
that needs to be endlessly repeated, we need to see alongside
this announcement the speedy implementation of social care
reform, significant investment in community services and a real
focus on the things that impact on ill health, such as housing
and education.”
