Nuffield Trust response to today's NHS performance figures

Responding to today’s NHS performance figures, the Nuffield Trust’s Deputy Director of Research, Sarah Scobie, says:

“Today’s NHS performance statistics reveal very starkly the pressure facing the NHS and the impact this has on more and more patients. Compared with September last year, within A&E departments the number of patients waiting more than four hours has risen dramatically, by over a third. There has also been an alarming three-fold increase in the numbers of patients who are so sick they need to be admitted but wait more than 12 hours for that to happen. These are vulnerable people, waiting in distress and anxiety, often on trolleys, and despite the very best efforts of NHS staff, this cannot be acceptable. 

“The reasons can be found in the sheer numbers of patients coming to A&E and the proportion needing admission, which is steadily increasing year on year. Waiting times for planned treatment are also getting longer, with 15 per cent waiting more than the 18-week target – the worst performance since June 2008. Without a sufficient and urgent plan for solving the workforce crisis, these targets will continue to go in a worse direction and patients will suffer as a result.”