Trust insists ‘our data is correct’ despite waiting list ‘grip’ concerns

An external review of waiting list management at a large acute trust has found several serious problems – including ‘pop-up’ patients and thousands of cancelled appointments each week – but concluded they were no worse than would be found at ‘most NHS trusts’.

The review appears to have been triggered after University Hospitals of the North Midlands declared unexpected increases in the number of 78-week and 104-week waiters earlier this year, while the government and NHS England have been intensively performance managing these measures.

The independent report by independent consultant Wendy Baines states: “The review found no evidence of deliberate irregularities in the management of waiting times.

“Although as the case for most NHS trusts, the capacity to misrepresent the ‘true’ volume of waiters at a certain point in time is significant.

“Managing this risk by minimising the capacity for errors through training, the right pathway administration systems and tools, and the ability to monitor data quality through a defined set of process assurance measures is key. Whilst UHNM possesses these components, they are not necessarily working in cohesion to provide the assurance and oversight needed to manage patient waiting times.”

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Source: HSJ, 13 June 2023