NHS performance Tracker

NHS performance Tracker The average (median) waiting time for planned care was over 14 weeks in March 2023. This is almost double the average waiting time before the pandemic, which was 7 ½ weeks in February 2020.

The total size of the waiting list for planned care increased slightly to 7.33 million in March 2023. This is the highest since records began.

A&E waiting times improved slightly in April 2023, with 1 in 4 people spending more than four hours from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge. But this is still far from reaching the standard of only 5% of people waiting this long.

The analysis below includes the latest data on key activity and performance measures from March and April 2023, as published by NHS England on 11 May 2023. Quality Watch

See also:

• Missed target means patients continue to pay the price for NHS crisis The Health Foundation
• The King's Fund responds to the latest NHS performance stats The King's Fund
• NHS Confederation responds to the latest NHS performance statistics NHS Confederation
• NHS cuts longest waits and speeds-up response times NHS England
• NHS Activity Tracker May 2023 NHS Providers
• Trusts' waiting lists work paying off but no let-up in pressure on NHS NHS Providers
• NHS misses targets in England to tackle care backlogs BBC News
• Large push to meet NHS operations backlog falls short on hitting targets The BMJ
• NHS waiting list spirals to ANOTHER record high as the Government also misses key target The Daily Mail
• Ten NHS trusts responsible for nearly half of UK's patient backlog The Daily Telegraph
• NHS waiting list hits record 7.3 million people in England The Independent
• Children’s surgery waiting lists hits record high as NHS fails to tackle spiralling backlog The Independent
• PM struggling on pledge to cut NHS waiting times as another record broken ITV News

Latest MBRRACE-UK figures for maternal and perinatal mortality in the UK are published

Latest MBRRACE-UK figures for maternal and perinatal mortality in the UK are published The MBRRACE-UK collaboration, led from Oxford Population Health’s National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit (NPEU), has today published data on women who died during, or up to six weeks after, pregnancy between 2019 and 2021 in the UK. This is the first time that the data have been available ahead of the full Saving Lives, Improving Mothers’ Care report, which is due to be published in October 2023, and responds to a recent call in the Women and Equalities Committee Black Maternal Health report for more rapid publication of data.

The report highlighted the findings from the 2018 – 2020 MBRRACE-UK Saving Lives, Improving Mothers’ Care report that revealed an almost four-fold difference in maternal mortality rates amongst Black women and an almost two-fold difference amongst Asian women when compared with White women. The 2019 – 2021 data show that these disparities still remain and further emphasises the need for a continued focus on action to address inequalities in maternal health.

See also:

• Figures show maternal death rate race disparity BBC News
• Maternal deaths in UK remain static, despite bid to improve care The BMJ

International retention toolkit

International retention toolkit This toolkit explores actions employers can take to ensure internationally recruited staff build lasting careers in the NHS. The aim is to support the reduction in turnover of international staff by improving their experience at work. It is designed as a one stop shop to provide information, resources and best practice examples on what organisations, systems and regions are already doing to create the conditions for all international staff to thrive. It is based on four pillars: creating strong foundations, making new recruits feel welcome, building belonging, and maximising personal and professional growth. NHS Employers

See also:

• Conscious retention – creating a more secure workforce NHS Employers
• NHS: The international nurses who are crucial to West Suffolk Hospital BBC News

Independent report: The life and death of Elizabeth Dixon: a catalyst for change

Independent report: The life and death of Elizabeth Dixon: a catalyst for change Elizabeth Dixon was a child with special health needs. She had been born prematurely at Frimley Park Hospital on 14 December 2000. Following treatment and care at Great Ormond Street Hospital and a children’s hospice, she was nursed at home under a care package. As a result of a failure to clear a tracheostomy tube, she asphyxiated and was pronounced dead at Frimley Park hospital on 4 December 2001.

The investigation chaired by Dr Bill Kirkup looked at the events surrounding the care of Elizabeth and makes a series of recommendations in respect of the failures in the care she received from the NHS. Department of Health and Social Care

Executive lead roles within integrated care boards

Executive lead roles within integrated care boards The commitment was given to Parliament, during consideration of the Health and Care Act 2022, that every integrated care board (ICB) would identify members of its board which would have explicit responsibility for the population groups and functions set out in this guidance: children and young people (aged 0 to 25); children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities; safeguarding (all ages), including looked after children; people with learning disability and autism (all ages); and people with Down syndrome (all ages). These executive leads support the chief executive and the board to ensure that the ICB functions effectively, in relation to the groups mentioned previously. This guidance looks at the responsibilities of the executive lead for each group of people. NHS England

The Christie: World-renowned NHS centre downgraded by watchdog

The Christie: World-renowned NHS centre downgraded by watchdog A world-renowned cancer centre hit by whistleblowing concerns over alleged bullying has been downgraded by the health watchdog.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) told The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester it "requires improvement" in safety and leadership.

A former trust nurse told the BBC leaders had intimidated staff to stop them voicing concerns to inspectors.

The trust said it was working hard to ensure staff felt supported. BBC News

See also:

• World-leading NHS cancer centre downgraded by regulator Sky News

Hospital boss claims unfair dismissal after chairman 'bullied' her

Hospital boss claims unfair dismissal after chairman 'bullied' her A former NHS chief executive is suing her employer, saying she was "bullied, harassed, intimidated and undermined" by the hospital trust's chairman.

In legal papers, seen by BBC News, Dr Susan Gilby alleges she was effectively unfairly dismissed by the Countess of Chester NHS Foundation Trust, after she made a formal complaint.

She has also accused the chairman of putting finance above patient safety.

In a statement, the trust said it denied all the allegations. BBC News

Autistic teenager was stuck on general hospital ward for months

Autistic teenager was stuck on general hospital ward for months An autistic girl aged 16 spent nearly seven months in a busy general hospital due to a lack of suitable children's mental health services in England.

Her local health and care system said it was "very sorry" for how she was treated "when she was most vulnerable".

Campaigners describe the shortage of appropriate support for people with autism as a human rights crisis. BBC News

Artificial intelligence could ‘transform’ heart attack diagnosis, scientists say

Artificial intelligence could ‘transform’ heart attack diagnosis, scientists say Artificial intelligence (AI) could be “transformational” in improving heart attack diagnosis to reduce pressure on emergency departments, a new study suggests.

Doctors could soon use an algorithm developed using AI to diagnose heart attacks with better speed and accuracy than ever before, the research from the University of Edinburgh indicates.

It could also help tackle dangerous inequalities in diagnosing the condition, scientists suggest. The Independent

See also:

• Machine learning for diagnosis of myocardial infarction using cardiac troponin concentrations (open access) Nature Medicine

AI predicts pancreatic cancer three YEARS before it occurs

AI predicts pancreatic cancer three YEARS before it occurs A breakthrough AI model can determine a person's risk of developing pancreatic cancer with staggering accuracy, research suggests.

Using medical records and information from previous scans, the AI was able to flag patients at a high risk of developing pancreatic cancer within the next three years with great accuracy.

There are currently no full-proof scans for pancreatic cancer, with doctors using a combination of CT scans, MRIs and other invasive procedures to diagnose it. The Daily Mail

See also: 

• A deep learning algorithm to predict risk of pancreatic cancer from disease trajectories (open access) Nature Medicine

Thousands of hospital doctors to be drafted into GP surgeries under new NHS plans

Thousands of hospital doctors to be drafted into GP surgeries under new NHS plans Thousands of hospital doctors could be recruited to work in GP surgeries to solve the appointments crisis.

The drastic proposal, yet to be confirmed, would see specialty and specialist (SAS) medics drafted into practices across the country.

Such doctors have not undergone the highest level of training, and don't reach the level of consultant. The Daily Mail

See also:

• GPC UK draft position on ‘SAS doctors in primary care’ BMA General Practice Committee
• SAS Doctors working in primary care Royal College of General Practitioners
• Supporting SAS doctors to fulfil their potential Royal College of Physicians
• Primary care role for SAS doctors 'not viable', BMA paper warns GPonline
• SAS doctors in general practice ‘risk exploitation’, says BMA Pulse
• NHS England planning pilots of SAS doctors in general practice in ‘abuse’ of rules Pulse