NHS waiting times

ePolitix.com Stakeholders and political parties comment on the prime minister's call for "around the clock" care in a bid to cut NHS waiting times to a maximum of 18 weeks.

Party Responses: Liberal Democrats

Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb said: "Tony Blair seems to be setting his departure date further and further away in a desperate attempt to secure a positive legacy.

"The prime minister is living in cloud cuckoo land if he thinks that more central targets will be met by hospitals deep in deficit who are already cutting jobs and services.

"The reality is that in many parts of the country health trusts deep in deficit are slowing down patient referrals, extending hospital waiting times rather than reducing them.

"It is not surprising that those who know most about the NHS are disillusioned with the government’s mishandling of the health service.

"This government has paid little attention to what doctors think about the endless contradictory reforms which they have pushed through."

Stakeholder Response: ACE

To respond directly to ACE clickhere

Age Concern's director general, Gordon Lishman, said: "The government's drive to cut the maximum waiting time for an NHS operation is really encouraging but it must also extend this pledge to cover 'hidden waiting lists' for essential services, such as chiropody, hearing aids and wheelchairs.

"These services are vital to older people maintaining their independence yet have been overlooked in today's announcement because the new target only relates to referrals to consultants1. Many older people are forced to wait an intolerably long time for such basic services, up to two years for a hearing aid in a case we heard of recently.

"If the government is going to honour its commitment to focus on services closer to home and promote independence, it must apply an equally ambitious target to keep waiting times down for preventative NHS services."

Stakeholder Response: Help the Hospice

To respond directly to Help the Hospices click here

Help the Hospices said: "There are some aspects of care which, if provided ‘around the clock’ could have significant benefits for patients and carers.

"The out of hours services provided by various independent charitable hospices throughout the country are considered vital aspects of local health care provision.

"They ensure that patients are able to remain comfortable in their homes even as their symptoms deteriorate, that avoidable emergency admissions are prevented, that acute beds are kept clear, and that carers and relatives can seek the reassurance they often need in the last days and hours of a loved ones life.

"Such services, if properly funded and universally provided, could have a profound effect on the way in which the end of life is experienced for so many people. These services enable people to die in a place that they choose, rather than in a busy hospital ward.

"Help the Hospices believes that an extension of these services could help to relieve pressure on the NHS, enabling the NHS to do more to tackle waiting times, and providing a higher standard of care for all. 

"We hope that the prime minister will recognise the importance of designing ‘round the clock’ systems of care that build on the existing services provided by hospices by funding them in a sustainable manner and giving them the opportunity to expand services and impart their knowledge and expertise to other agencies, to improve end of life care for all."