Will the government scrap A&E waiting targets?
Doctor says the suggestion would have a ‘near-catastrophic’ impact on hospitals
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has signalled that four-hour waiting targets for A&E are likely to be scrapped for the NHS in England.
Currently, hospitals must aim to ensure 95% of patients are seen within the time limit, but in November every major A&E unit in England missed the target.
As the government came under fire for the worst figures on record, the health secretary argued it would be better if targets were “clinically appropriate”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Daily Mail said his suggestion has “sparked anger”, with Dr Taj Hassan, the president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, warning that it risks having “a near-catastrophic impact on patient safety”.
Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s shadow health secretary, said: “Changing the A&E target won’t magic away the problems in our overcrowded hospitals, with patients left on trolleys in corridors for hours and hours.”
Waiting time targets were first put under review by Theresa May in 2018.
As part of the review, the NHS England’s national medical director, Prof Steve Powis, suggested three new targets: using the average waiting time as the main measure; recording how long patients wait before being assessed after they arrive; and checking how long the most seriously ill patients wait before their treatment is completed.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important business stories and tips for the week’s best shares - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
During Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn raised the issue of growing waiting times, calling for “urgent action”.
He called on the government to apologise to 92-year-old RAF veteran Stan Solomons, who was last week reported to have waited 12 hours on a hospital trolley before a bed was found for him.
In response, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he has “every sympathy for everybody who has a bad and unacceptable experience in the NHS” but claimed that “most people in this country... have a fantastic experience of our health care”.
However, he said the Labour leader was “right to signal delays people are facing” and they were “unacceptable”.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Will Aukus pact survive a second Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question US, UK and Australia seek to expand 'game-changer' defence partnership ahead of Republican's possible return to White House
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Can Boris Johnson save Rishi Sunak?
Today's Big Question Former PM could 'make the difference' between losing the next election and annihilation
By The Week UK Published
-
It's the economy, Sunak: has 'Rishession' halted Tory fightback?
Today's Big Question PM's pledge to deliver economic growth is 'in tatters' as stagnation and falling living standards threaten Tory election wipeout
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Why your local council may be going bust
The Explainer Across England, local councils are suffering from grave financial problems
By The Week UK Published
-
Rishi Sunak and the right-wing press: heading for divorce?
Talking Point The Telegraph launches 'assault' on PM just as many Tory MPs are contemplating losing their seats
By Keumars Afifi-Sabet, The Week UK Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
How the biggest election year in history might play out
The Explainer Votes in world's biggest democracies, as well as its most 'despotic' and 'stressed' countries, face threats of violence and suppression
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published