Health Foundation response to the publication of NHS England’s performance statistics for September

Responding to the publication of NHS England’s combined monthly performance statistics, Tim Gardner, Senior Policy Fellow at the Health Foundation, said:

'The figures published today make for grim reading and, with winter approaching, there are likely to be even tougher times ahead.

'These waiting times are indicative of wider problems in health and social care. The NHS is working hard to treat people as quickly as they expect and deserve, and most NHS providers continue to deliver good quality care. But cuts to social care are impacting on the NHS and we have called on government to urgently boost funding in this area.

'There is undoubtedly room for improvements within the NHS itself, and some providers have already found innovative ways of treating and discharging patients more quickly. However, the planned increases in the NHS's budget to 2019/20 are not enough to maintain standards of care, while also meeting rising demand from patients and delivering the changes services need.*

'The government will need to review the NHS settlement or be open with the public about how access to services and quality of care will be affected.'

*See the joint briefing produced by the Health Foundation, the Nuffield Trust and the King’s Fund ahead of the government’s autumn statement for further detail.

Notes to editors

Analysis of today’s figures show:

• 37,599 patients were delayed in being discharged from hospital in the first half of 2016/17, compared to 29,956 delayed in the same period in 2015/16 and 27,362 in the same period in 2014/15. This represents more than 1 million days lost to delays in the last six months.
• Over the spring and summer months (April – September, 2016), 86.0% of patients visiting major A&E departments were admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours, compared with 90.2% by the same time last year and 92.0% the year before. The target is that 95% of patients should be seen within that time.
• In ambulance services, 68.3% of the most urgent calls did not receive an emergency response within eight minutes in September 2016, against a target of 75% of these callers being reached in this time period. This target has now only been met three times in the last 30 months.
• For cancer patients, the 62 day waiting time target from GP referral and start of treatment has now been missed for 11 consecutive quarters. The target of 85% of patients beginning treatment within 62 days was last met in Q3 (October-December) of 2013/14.
• 3.7 million patients were on the waiting list for elective care in September 2016, an increase of nearly 400,000 from the same time last year. Halfway through the year, the NHS is continuing to underperform against the target for treating patients within 18 weeks of referral.