Most of us know what it feels like to sit in a hospital waiting room, and it is not often a pleasant experience. The time spent waiting can be worrying, stressful and uncomfortable. Indeed, waiting for any kind of treatment is never going to be easy – which is why the Liberal Democrats are committed to keeping waiting times low. We aim to do this while engaging in the difficult task, set in motion by the last Labour Government, to find £20 billion of efficiency savings by 2015.
Last year I said that people needed to be seen and diagnosed even faster – and we are on our way to achieving this goal. Recent data shows that waiting times in the NHS have been maintained. Latest figures also show that nationally, the NHS as a whole delivered the NHS Constitution standards of 90 per cent of admitted patients and 95 per cent of non-admitted patients starting their treatment within 18 weeks of referral.
The latest data for August this year also shows that average waiting times remain low and stable. Indeed, the average time waited for patients starting admitted treatment in August was just 8.1 weeks, compared to 8.4 weeks in May 2010.
It is also the case that we have either maintained or exceeded cancer waiting times targets. Most notably, 98.2 per cent of patients who need a follow-up course of radiotherapy are starting treatment within the 31 days maximum – more than four per cent above the expected level. And for those of you who have undergone treatment for cancer or know someone who has done so in the past, you will appreciate how important this is. Timely access to diagnosis and treatment will help to ease people’s anxiety and in some cases lead to an earlier diagnosis with a lower risk of complications.
The Government’s record on the NHS is sound, but in the coming months we must be clear that one of our tasks is to ensure disparities in waiting times between individual hospitals are ironed out. So I wish to make it clear that poor performance on some cancer waiting times will not be tolerated. Therefore, if hospitals do not meet their agreed contractual standards, commissioners play the role of managing performance and imposing fines where appropriate.
It is also the case that the Government took on board Future Forum recommendations which make sure the NHS Commissioning Board and clinical commissioning groups must take active steps to promote the NHS Constitution, which enshrines patients’ rights to an 18 week limit on consultant-led referral to treatment waiting times and a two week wait to see a specialist for suspected cancer. If this is not possible, individuals have a right to request the NHS take all reasonable steps to offer a range of alternative providers.
Reducing waiting times for cancer diagnosis and treatment remains an important priority for this Government and I aim to ensure that people are given the treatment they need in the timeframe entitled to them as an NHS patient.
