Trusts pressured to meet ‘political’ target by diverting staff to less sick patients

Hospitals are being pressured to shift their resources to treating patients with less serious conditions to meet a “politically motivated” target, according to multiple senior sources.

The pressure appears to be coming through NHS England’s regional teams, with local sources saying they are being told to focus energies on patients in their emergency departments who do not need to be admitted to a ward.

These cases are typically faster to deal with, and therefore shifting resources to this cohort could significantly improve performance against the four-hour target.

However, experts in emergency care repeatedly warn that admitted patients are the most likely to suffer long waits and harm.

The NHS has been tasked with lifting performance against the four-hour target to 76% in 2023-24, but has failed to meet that in any month this year. Performance in December was 69%.

Some trust leaders told HSJ they would ignore the instructions, saying they would continue to focus resources on reducing the longest waits.

One chief executive in the north of England said: “It’s a complete nonsense and just politically motivated. We’re getting a very clear message to hit 76 per cent which is hugely problematic because it will drive non patient focussed behaviour. We have said ‘no, we are focussing on long waiters and ambulance delays’… in other words doing the right thing for patients.”

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Source: HSJ, 5 February 2024