Ben Bradshaw claims NHS shake-up will hit waiting times
MINISTERS have been tackled by Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw over the impact of a major NHS shake-up on waiting times.
The former Labour Health Minister claimed in the Commons that the times patients were having to wait for treatment had gone up under the coalition government.
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The performance of accident and emergency departments had also got worse with the "watering down" of targets.
But this was rejected by ministers who described Mr Bradshaw's comments as a "cheap" attack.
It follows criticism of the way the Government has handled a far-reaching overhaul of the health service, which has led to concerns about its impact on care.
Responding to a question by Mr Bradshaw over the impact of the reorganisation on waiting times, Health Minister Simon Burns said: "The proposed changes will focus the NHS on quality.
"It will also focus on the results that matter to patients, such as how successful their treatment was and not just on bureaucratic processes such as waiting-time targets.
"Waiting times are important to patients, along with the quality of their experience and outcomes, and this is what will drive improvements in the future."
But Mr Bradshaw said: "Well, what a revelation. I think that the Minister will find that the public do care about waiting times.
"Will he confirm that waiting times are already going up, that more people are already waiting more than 18 weeks – the maximum that we achieved when we were in government – and that the performance of accident and emergency departments has deteriorated since he watered down our A & E targets?" Mr Burns hit back saying: "I think that he either did not hear my earlier remarks or had penned his question prior to hearing them.
"What I said was that waiting times are important to patients.
"May I also explain to him that the average median time for the latest month available – November – shows patients completing a referral-to-treatment pathway in about 8.3 weeks.
"His comments on A & E are just factually wrong and somewhat cheap."
6 Comments
by David, Croydon
Friday, January 28 2011, 7:29PM
“The Labour illusionsof 'Targets' will soon, happily, be history. Anyone who has experienced the worst practices of the target system will know what a disaster it was.
A certain hospital, here in Croydon, would issue an appointment, cancel it and issue a new date seven days before the original. Lo and behold seven days before the new appointment date it was cancelled and a new date made-that one in 90% of the cases was kept.
The main lessons given to the ConDems by the previous government is How to mak victimise the sick and weak ( Viz the ATOS 'medical' assessments) and how to fiddle the figures.”
by Steve, Exwick
Friday, January 28 2011, 4:26PM
“You'll find out what PCTs do sometime aroud 2013, when they are due to be abolished along with the regional health authorities.
PCts are a bit like kidneys, in that one isn't generally aware of them until they go wrong or stop working.
So once GP commissioning is underway and people begin to lose specialist services becasue they are not considered worth commissioning, once hospitals begin to compete with each other on the basis of who can provide the cheapest service, and once the private sector has won contracts for services which they then drop as they cease to become profitable by which time the NHSs capacity to deliver said service has atrophied entirely.........etc etc
....then Terry, you will find out what PCTs do, but then I suspect your question was rhetorical, no?”
by T A Griffin, Exeter, Devon
Friday, January 28 2011, 8:27AM
“Where was Bradshaw when labour abolished Community Health Councils. Where was Bradshaw when labour merged the Exeter Primary Care Trust with Devon Primary Care Trust. Where was Bradshaw?
Does Bradshaw really think that PCTs are worth keeping, what exactly do they do!”
by James, Countess Wear
Thursday, January 27 2011, 6:27PM
“Nice tie Ben! I wouldn't mind being on a waiting list for you!”
by Nero, Exmouth
Thursday, January 27 2011, 4:42PM
“He looks a bit gay to me!”
by Adrian, Exeter
Thursday, January 27 2011, 1:14PM
“You have to wonder if the Country would be better off if the the Labour Party had put as much effort in while they were running the Country. For years their main concern was furthering their own careers and now that has paused they finally realise that somebody should have been worrying about what was happening in the real world.”