Prime Minister pledges fastest improvement of NHS waiting times

Rishi Sunak has promised the government’s plan for emergency care will deliver ‘the largest and fastest-ever improvement in emergency waiting times in the NHS’s history’.

This week the Prime Minister launched a new healthcare plan, promising to deliver better wait times as people face record delays in accessing vital healthcare.

Whilst visiting the University Hospital of North Tees in Stockton, Rishi Sunak said the plan will aim to increase capacity in the NHS, increase the workforce, discharge more patients from hospital, deliver more care outside of hospital, and improve the 111 service.

The government has announced the use of ‘virtual wards’ to help expand care outside of hospital and reduce pressures on staff. The new system is set to help treat 50,000 patients each month.

Benefitting the majority of elderly patients, as well as people with respiratory conditions, doctors and other members of health staff will review their cases everyday and patients using wearable devices can report daily readings and results so they can be monitored from their home.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Steve Barclay, said: ‘Up to 20% of hospital admissions are avoidable with the right care in place.

‘By expanding the care provided in the community, the most vulnerable, frail and elderly patients can be better supported to continue living independently or recover at home.

‘This includes rolling out more services to help with falls and frailty as well as supporting up to 50,000 patients a month to recover in the comfort of their own homes. Not only will patients benefit from better experiences and outcomes, it will ease pressure on our busy emergency departments.’

However, the number of absent vacant posts currently in the NHS, has cast concerns about how well all these ‘virtual’ patients will be seen to.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) – independent regulator of health and social care in England – has recently dropped its rating for medical care services in Colchester Hospital from ‘good’ to ‘requires improvement’, this is as a result of major staff shortages meaning not enough patients were receiving sufficient treatment.

CQC discovered there was an 8.6% vacancy rate and 6.25% sickness rate in the hospital’s medical care services in October 2022.

Photo by Aron Van de Pol