A round-up of NHS quality and financial performance between October and December 2010, published by the Department of Health, shows that the NHS is continuing to provide improvements in the quality of patient care and robust financial management while preparing to transition to a health service more focused on improving patient outcomes.
The report shows that the NHS has improved its quality of service in nine areas, including a continuing reduction in the rates of hospital acquired infections; better performance on quickly seeing and treating patients who have mini-strokes; increased access to dentistry for adults, and; improvement in breast and bowel cancer screening rates. The NHS has also ensured that patients continue to receive timely access to care. Waiting times over this period remained stable and patients continued to receive NHS treatment quickly following a referral, including for cancer treatment. The report also highlights areas where there needs to be more focus to deliver further improvements, including uptake of HPV vaccine among girls aged 12-13 and making sure that the NHS continues to focus on reducing unnecessary delays in A&E. The report includes an update on NHS finances, showing that it is currently forecasting a surplus of £1.4 bn at the end of the financial year. This will provide a strong foundation for the NHS as it modernises to cope with the pressures of an ageing population and rising costs. For those individual NHS organisations in a weaker financial position, the report sends a strong message that this needs to improve. Commenting on the report, NHS chief executive, Sir David Nicholson, said: “It is excellent to see that the NHS has not only maintained the quality of care patients receive but has improved services in a number of key areas such as breast and bowel cancer screening, which we know is important to patients. This report reflects the hard work and commitment of NHS staff, right across the country. It is critical we keep that focus on maintaining and improving our performance, while we increasingly focus on the overall outcomes we achieve for our patients.”
