Our comment on NHS England combined performance summary for May 2016

Our response to the NHS England Combined Performance Summary for May 2016.

Press release

Published: 14/07/2016

Commenting on new figures published this morning covering the performance of the NHS in England in May, Nigel Edwards, Chief Executive of the Nuffield Trust health think tank, said:

“By this time of year, the Health Service would normally expect to see a reduction in the pressure it suffers during winter and spring. But the fact that the proportion of people being moved through A&E within four hours was still a long way below the 95 per cent target in May shows that the traditional summer respite for the NHS is now becoming a thing of the past, as our research revealed in February.

“In addition, for the third month running, the total number of days patients spent waiting to be discharged from hospital was the highest since the NHS started keeping records. That’s largely because many frail elderly patients need help from local authorities, such as adaptations to their own home or a care home place, before they can leave hospital. But only this week the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services revealed that council social services currently have a funding gap of around £940 million just to keep services operating at last year’s levels, so it’s unlikely that this problem is going to be solved soon”.

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