NHS Confederation responds to government announcement on crack teams cutting waiting lists at twice the speed

Responding to the news that a government initiative to send crack teams to support hospital trusts in areas where more people are out of work and waiting for treatment, is cutting waiting lists at twice the speed, Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said:  

“NHS leaders are committed to driving down waiting lists and appreciate the targeted support from the government to learn from the best. The NHS also appreciates the link between a healthy society supported by a strong NHS and a well-functioning economy. The success of the scheme so far in these services points to the importance of strong management and administration in the NHS to deliver for patients and staff, which the government should bear in mind when ever deeper cuts in managerial capacity are being demanded.    

“As the latest data shows while waiting lists have come down for the last six months, it is still over 7.4m. It will take time to clear the backlog completely especially with bed occupancy levels still high.  

“Our members will look forward to the roll out of teams more widely while exploring the implications for other parts of the system with long waiting lists.”