Bloody marvellous! New NHS initiative to drop waiting time

[KatherineCam]

I just read BBC news about decision of NHS to drop waiting times for A&E treatment. The 4-hour target was introduced in 2004 but since 2015 NHS could no longer meet it. The logical step will be to talk about raising more money and/or hiring more staff but “no” – let’s just drop an annoying target.

The new regime allows to treat things like stroke, heart or asthma attack within an hour. OMG! THANK YOU! I would imagine there should not be an hour window to treat such dangerous conditions. This type of emergencies should not be delayed at all. However, people coming with less dangerous but still quite urgent problems (broken bones etc) should not be delayed only on a basis of NHS lack of personnel.

What is your view on it?

I think it's a bloody good idea. The NHS is buckling under the strain and as long as urgent cases are triaged correctly (which they are), I see no problem with someone with a non life-threatening issue waiting longer. It's called A&E for a reason and some people abuse it.

I think dropping a failed target is better for staff. Giving someone an unachievable target is nothing short of demotivating and demoralising.

Urgent patients will receive urgent care, and if you've rocked up to a and e with a cold, be prepared to sit there for hours...

Perhaps it will cut down on the abuse of the system if people know they could be there literally a whole day.

OP understand your questions but the whole system of 4 hour targets brought on so much careful manipulation of the system in many A&Es to meet targets that couldn't be met ... it seems to have been ridiculous anyway. I hope a real life EMP will come on and comment and put it into context. IMHO there is huge understaffing and fewer medical students are going into emergency care because of the strain, lack of resources etc.

Hmm it seems that I am the only one who sees it as a failure of the system. The NHS administration in a broad daylight is saying they decide to drop the target instead of getting more staff in and everyone is applauding this decision.

They met the target until recently but due to a shortage of personal the wait became longer across all areas that had targets ( referrals, cancer treatment etc). However instead of looking into how funds are used- whether there are inefficiencies of the system, poor control of eligibility to a treatment etc. BTW they do ask you if you are UK resident if you come for a regular appointment BUT you don't need to show a proof and A&E is not even querying it....

I am amazed how people are blaming "clueless people who abuse the system" instead of thinking that something in not right with the system and it needs to change.

Was I abusing the system when I was ready to have by baby and hospital had no midwife for me? I was asked not to push until they got one from a neighbouring hospital... Or when with my next child I was in a full blown labour together with a few other mums but there was no place for us on a labour ward. Surely it was gross abusive of system and a huge inconvenience to NHS.

The NHS administration in a broad daylight is saying they decide to drop the target instead of getting more staff in and everyone is applauding this decision.

Because they can't get more staff. You can't force people to take A&E jobs. If the jobs are advertised and nobody applies, what do you suggest the hospitals do?

Hmmm I do not follow the logic. For starters they can offer to pay them more or give them more holidays or other benefits etc. This should do the trick. That is also what normally any organisation will do.

They haven't got the money.

Trusts that didn't meet the targets would then have cuts to their funding so struggled even more. Totally makes sense to get rid of it.

Namechangerextraordinare101 - again is it me or i struggle to understand the reversed logic. The idea to cut funds from strugling hospitals is idiotic in its nature. They struggle as is. If anything they need MORE funds. Besides you make a conclusion than the targets should be dropped?

So lets go over it again.There are struggling hospitals ( they plan to drop targets not only for A&E btw). Instead of getting more money and probably looking into ways of making their work more efficient the NHS takes away the money and then drops the targets. Thus hospital left with no money to hire new people, and while they may fell relieved of not having targets patients will struggle ( again it is not only about A&E).

Is it me or everybody is zombified into thinking that NHS is brilliant and while standart of care drops year after year there is nothing wrong with it?

To me it is the same as to when I ask why UK swimming pools are so disgusting compare to the European ones only to be told that nothing can be done because people walk in with their shoes on and keep eating crisps and throw packets.

It is also in line with expensive trains running constantly late or being canceled all-together - again it is either "adverse" weather or luck of drivers to blame but not the railway companies. While everyone know that these are perfectly solvable and Sweden has more snow and adverse weather but trains are still running. Switzerland and Germany also made their trains run on time...

Sorry for the runt but to me it is sad to see that people just keep accepting falling standarts of service everywhere. And because nobody raises an eyebrow companies and organisations don't put any effort to improve.

I think there should be a coloured chair system in A&E which you are put in after triage. Everyone in the red chairs are seen before those in the green chairs and those are seen before the blue chairs and the white chairs, no fucking chance, you may as well do what you should have done in the first place and pop to the pharmacy.

I bet everyone whacked on the white chairs and half of those on the blue chairs would fuck off home and stop going to A&E for minor ailments.

There should be a drunk tank and a drug tank as well where the people are just watched for their own safety and then turned out as soon as sober enough. If you need medical attention from fighting when under the influence you should be charged for it too.

Mind you the NHS doesn't need more money pumped into it it really just needs to stop haemorrhaging what it already has and invest more in training and stopping employing bank staff.

People under influence will probably not make any sense of the colour of their chairs. Overall my point was not try to "stop the abuse of the system" because this is NHS b-shit propaganda anyway. They blame patients aka "system abusers" are the reasons one have to wait ages for any referral to a specialist and most likely your GP will convince you anyway that your problem is not worthy of their attention. NHS introduce quotas on how many times a year someone has to have an on inflammation that required antibiotics before this person is going to be referred to a specialist. So if you have 4 sinus problems a year instead of 5 you will not see a specialist. Besides NHS penalise GPs for referrals. Very efficient system where interests of the patient is not at the center of it. However the minute you say "hey I waited for 6 month to have a test at the hospital" ( because they only have one person performing it in the whole region) you will be told that this is due to "system abuse". Same as with leaves on train tracks...