Latest news with #waitingTimes
Irish Times
6 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Times
State's NTPF suspends special funding at CHI over controversy around abuse of waiting lists
The State fund responsible for reducing waiting times at public hospitals has suspended all funding for private services at Children's Health Ireland (CHI) hospitals under 'insourcing arrangements' over concerns at the group. The move follows the controversy around a hospital consultant who allegedly breached HSE guidelines by referring patients he was seeing in his public practice to weekend clinics he was operating separately. The National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) has suspended all funding for 'insourcing arrangements' at the children's hospital group on foot of concerns raised about how such schemes have been operated in the past. The NTPF aims to cut waiting times by paying private practices to treat patients on public waiting lists. READ MORE Insourcing is where public hospital facilities and staff, such as in CHI, are funded by the NTPF to provide additional services, outside core working hours, to treat those waiting longest for care. The NTPF receives more than €200 million each year to pay for the treatment in the public and private systems for patients on long waiting lists. On Tuesday, the fund said that following 'serious concerns' raised over an internal report drawn up by the children's hospital group in 2021 - but not published or circulated - it had 'immediately placed a temporary pause on all insourcing work with CHI'. It said it had initiated 'a comprehensive review of all insourcing work with CHI to gather the necessary assurances regarding compliance, value for money and appropriate use of NTPF funding mechanisms'. The NTPF does not provide details of payments made to individual hospitals so the amount provided to the CHI group over recent years is not known publicly. The fund said the key criteria covered for insourcing programmes include that the funding is targeted at the longest waiting public patients. It also stipulates that all insourcing activities are being carried out strictly outside of core activity and are not displacing or overlapping with services already funded under the HSE's national service plan. No costs already funded by the HSE, including capital or core-funded staff costs, are allowed to be included in NTPF reimbursement claims. All staffing arrangements must be line with public pay policy and comply with HSE consolidated pay scales for core hours, overtime and premium payments. The NTPF said that it was 'liaising with CHI at the highest level' to obtain and review these assurances and is in close contact with the Department of Health and the HSE.
BBC News
21-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
NHS Wales waiting times to be released amid FM promise
New NHS figures are set to reveal whether a key promise by the first minister to cut waiting times has been December, Eluned Morgan pledged to cut the numbers waiting two years or more for planned treatments from 24,000 to about 8,000 by February, this figure stood at 15,500 - NHS England had just 147 patients waiting this long - and March's figures will be published on guarantee to cut waits for operations such as joint replacements and eye surgery was backed up with £50m for health boards, but came too late for Sarah Thyer, who paid £8,000 for a hip replacement in Lithuania after being told she would have to wait more than two years in Wales. Last month, Health Secretary Jeremy Miles said he was sure the NHS would come close to the 8,000 just under a year until the next Senedd election and with the NHS likely to be a key issue, the stakes are high. 'Every day I was struggling' Ms Thyer, 60, from Sketty, Swansea enjoyed an active life as a charity fundraiser until her left hip deteriorated quickly at the start of 2024."It was agony, so much so I had to use a stick. I couldn't do the activities I usually did like sea swimming and cycling," she said."I had to give up my job because I couldn't physically do what I needed to do."Having osteoarthritis, Ms Thyer knew she would need to a hip replacement, having undergone surgery on her right hip in then she had waited about eight months for the operation, but was told this time it would be at least triple that. "You feel completely frustrated... because every day you're struggling. "To be told you've got another two years after already being on [the list] for about 40 weeks is just depressing because it's not just the pain, it affects your whole life - it was heartbreaking." Following her father's death earlier this year, Sarah took matters into her own hands and paid to have her hip replaced in a clinic in flew out on 2 March, had the operation two days later and "within eight hours" of surgery, was "walking up and down the corridor".She can now ride her bike again and walk up stairs "without hanging on to the banister".Despite occasionally feeling "angry" about paying for her own treatment, she does not blame NHS staff, but said there was "something wrong in the system".While welcoming the Welsh government's commitment to bring down waiting lists, the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) argued progress was "too slow".Director in Wales Jon Barry said: "I feel very sorry for those patients who are sitting at home in pain, not being able to get around." The RCS wants more surgical hubs in Wales - standalone units that focus on these treatments and can be protected from pressures on A& Barry, also a consultant surgeon in Swansea Bay health board, the area where Ms Thyer lives, said the Welsh government needed to invest in long-term said health boards were able to make inroads, in part, by paying for more evening and weekend working, using the private sector and pooling facilities, staff and added: "Instead of spending money at the end of the financial year to get on top of these two-year waits it would be far more beneficial to use that funding 365 days a year to build durable capacity without turning to the private sector."Prof Barry said he was confident that Thursday's figures would show two-year waits being virtually eliminated in his health board and was "proud of the fact we've made significant progress".Back at home, Sarah realises the progress has come too late for her and does not regret her decision, but recognised others could not afford to do the said: "I was lucky to be in that position. Obviously I would prefer to be paying £8,000 on a few holidays, a new bathroom, kitchen or car, but nothing is better than waking up in the morning and not having that excruciating pain."So I would pay it again tomorrow."
The Guardian
15-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Bosses of hospitals that spend too much or treat too few will not get pay rise
Bosses of hospitals with long waiting times or that overspend their budget will be denied pay rises in a tough new drive by Wes Streeting to improve the NHS's performance. Senior executives in England's 215 NHS trusts and 42 integrated care boards will also receive bonuses for cutting waiting lists under plans the health secretary has unveiled. Streeting insisted the 'carrot and stick' performance management regime would lead to the health service adopting tactics already widely used in business to incentivise better performance. But NHS organisations warned that withholding pay could backfire, be seen as 'punishing' NHS leaders and deter talented bosses from working in trusts facing major challenges. The 'very senior managers (VSMs) pay framework' will apply to thousands of chief executives but also to deputy chief executives, chief operations officers, chief financial officers and other top-level roles. Under it, the chief executive of a trust that does badly operationally or financially will no longer receive their annual salary uplift, which last year gave VSMs up to an extra £15,000. But it would also give bosses who push through major improvements to their trust's performance, under either measure, bonuses of up to £30,000 as a reward for making substantial progress. Chief executives who take over a struggling trust could also be given a £45,000 payment for doing so. 'Some of the best businesses and most effective organisations across Britain and the world reward their top talent so they can keep on delivering. There's no reason why we shouldn't do the same in our NHS,' said Streeting. 'We will reward leaders who are cutting waiting times and making sure patients get better services. But bonuses and pay rises will be a reward and not a right.' He hopes the move will tackle the 'postcode lottery' in the quality of care across the NHS and deliver shorter waiting times. But Matthew Taylor, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation, warned that using VSM pay in this way could unfairly penalise bosses whose trust's performance is dictated by events outside their control. 'While we understand there should not be rewards for failure, we are concerned that some of the measures could be seen as punishing NHS leaders,' he said. 'The challenges facing NHS organisations can sometimes be due to historic or systemic issues rather than poor leadership.' Managers in Partnership (MiP), which represents many VSMs, said cuts to trust workforce numbers initiated by the new NHS England boss, Sir Jim Mackey, as part of a 'reset' of the service's finances would make it 'very difficult' for local leaders to deliver good performance. 'Most provider trusts are taking very hard decisions about services and clinical posts, all of which are going to affect care quality. The reset also requires trusts to take out large numbers of management and system jobs, which will weaken management grip, at least in the short term,' said Jon Restell, MiP's chief executive. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Meanwhile a record 16,644 people in England – 320 a week – died last year after waiting at least 12 hours in overcrowded A&E units before being admitted to a bed, the latest figures show. That was 2,745 more than the 13,919 who did so the year before, according to an analysis by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM), which represents A&E doctors. The 16,644 'excess deaths' occurred among patients who spent 12 hours in A&E before getting a bed in a specialist ward of the hospital and then died within 30 days of their arrival. 'It's heartbreaking that the number of people losing their lives directly related to long stays in A&E is rising, not falling. It's a source of national shame that we are going backwards on this and not forwards,' said Dr Adrian Boyle, the RCEM president. Labour MP and former shadow health minister Rosena Allin-Khan, who is also an A&E doctor, said: 'The situation in emergency departments across the country has been dire. We have all had to treat patients in corridors and cupboards and the indignity of it is scarring. 'Staff often put on a brave face, trying their best to make people comfortable, but it takes its toll on everyone involved. That is why I am pleased the government are committed to bringing down waiting lists.' The MP has helped set up a new all-party parliamentary group on emergency care, involving MPs and peers from different parties, which launches on Thursday at Westminster.
The Independent
14-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
NHS bosses who fail to cut waiting times to have their pay docked
Failing NHS bosses who fail to cut waiting times face having their pay docked by £15,000 under a drive to boost performance in the under-pressure health service. Wes Streeting is outlining plans to freeze or dock the pay of bosses in beleaguered NHS trusts, while offering bonuses of up to 10 per cent for those who improve services. The health secretary said the 'carrot and stick reforms will boost productivity, tackle underperformance and drive-up standards for patients '. But the Royal College of Nursing slammed the idea NHS chiefs could be handed bonuses higher than a nurse's annual salary. 'No NHS boss could succeed without us,' executive director Patricia Marquis said. While NHS Providers, which runs hospital trusts, warned withholding bosses' pay rises could have 'unintended consequences' at a time when the health service is undergoing a major transformation. Under the measures, NHS managers who move to poor performing areas could be handed a bonus of 15 per cent, worth up to £45,000. Bonuses of 10 per cent will also be on offer for top performers, while pay bands for senior managers will also be overhauled in a bid to attract and retain staff. But chief executives that rack up debt and fail to cut waiting lists or improve services could have up to £15,000 docked from their pay packets. The figure is based on last year's 5 per cent pay rise and the highest current salary for an NHS trust chief executive of £299,250. Mr Streeting said: "Some of the best businesses and most effective organisations across Britain and the world reward their top talent so they can keep on delivering. "There's no reason why we shouldn't do the same in our NHS. We will reward leaders who are cutting waiting times and making sure patients get better services. "But bonuses and pay rises will be a reward and not a right... Our carrot and stick reforms will boost productivity, tackle underperformance and drive up standards for patients." NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey said linking pay to operational performance happens in "almost every other sector" and should also happen in the health service. "If we are to consistently reach the standards of care the public rightly expect, it is clear that we need to reward those who are delivering for patients," he said. He added: "An important element of driving improvements must be strengthening the link between pay and operational performance at a very senior level - this happens in almost every other sector and there is no reason for the NHS to shy away from it, particularly when we rely on money that comes directly from taxpayers' pockets.' Charity the King's Fund urged the government to be careful with the implementation of the incentive scheme, warning of the potential to create 'hero leaders' who work in isolation. 'Incentives of the kind announced today may well focus attention but Ministers should be wary of potential unintended consequences that meeting a target takes precedence over delivering high quality patient care,' leadership and organisational development director Suzie Bailey said. She added: 'Many of the health leaders we speak to are in truth not driven by pay and they could certainly earn more in some other sectors. For them the real driver is deep commitment to their communities and the values of public service.'
