Reporting on the state of healthcare in England and Wales, the Healthcare Commission has applauded improvements in the NHS and said that access to services have been improved by driving down waiting times.
It also called for further efforts to enhance the quality of care and to ensure services are more patient-centred. Sir Ian Kennedy, the commission’s chairman, commented: “There have been major improvements in the care provided over the past five years. We have seen more money going in, more staff providing services and more patients being treated. People are getting care much more quickly than they used to, notably for cancer. “NHS Trusts have, for the first time, a clear understanding of the core standards of service that they should be providing, and we are seeing progress in driving down rates of healthcareassociated infection. People are living longer and there have been some remarkable reductions in premature deaths from the major killer diseases.” Key issues remain, however, and the watchdog pointed out that there are a small number of Trusts that appear to be trapped at a level of performance that is unacceptably poor. The commission also highlighted the fact that the NHS is “still not doing enough to monitor and learn from incidents” and to ensure good practice is followed. It said that commissioning must improve, as must measurement of patient outcomes, the experience of patients, and the journey people make through the system of care.
