Notes to editors
How is the NHS performing? the second of The King's Fund's regular quarterly monitoring reports, is published on 15 July 2011. For further information, or to request an interview, please contact the Press and Public Affairs team on 020 7307 2632 (if calling out of hours, please ring 07584 146035).
For the first time, we are using a 'prezi' – an engaging way of presenting facts through an online presentation that zooms in and out of graphics – to highlight the key findings of the report. The prezi is available on our website at www.kingsfund.org.uk/quarterlyreport alongside the full report. You are welcome to embed it in your own website (an embed code is available on our website).
(1) The survey of finance directors aims to provide a snapshot of opinion and is not intended to be a representative sample. Of 49 finance directors invited to join the panel, 29 participated, with respondents drawn from acute trusts, mental health trusts and primary care trusts, and at least one panel member from all the English regions. Responses were provided in the period from 9-22 June 2011.
(2) On 7 June 2011, the Prime Minister pledged to keep waiting times 'low'. He indicated that the 18-week limit on referral to treatment in hospital will be retained and that waiting times for A&E will continue to be measured, as one of a range of indicators for monitoring performance in A&E.
(3) Based on analysis of data published by the Department of Health on 14 July 2011. The median wait for inpatients increased from 7.9 weeks in April 2011 to 8.7 weeks in May, while the median wait for outpatients increased from 3.7 weeks to 4.4 weeks. The proportion of patients waiting for 18 weeks or longer fell from 13.61 per cent to 12.80 per cent for inpatients, and from 2.52 to 2.32 per cent for outpatients. Median waits are now at the same level as in June 2010, when the government ended performance management of the 18-week target, while the proportion of patients waiting for longer 18 weeks remains higher.
(4) Based on analysis of data published by the Department of Health on 6 July 2011. The median wait for diagnostic tests in May 2011 was 1.9 weeks (down from 2.3 weeks in April 2011), while the proportion of patients waiting longer than six weeks was 2.73 per cent (15,929 patients), up from 2.54 per cent (14,163 patients) in April 2011.
(5) Based on analysis of data published by the Department of Health on 23 May 2011. 3.43 per cent of patients waited for four or more hours in A&E in the last quarter of 2010/11, compared to 3.52 per cent in the previous quarter. These are the highest figures since the second quarter of 2004/5.
(6) Based on analysis of data published by the Health Protection Agency on 6 July 2011. In May 2011, there were 782 cases of C difficile (an increase of 70 cases compared to April) and 53 cases of MRSA (four less than in April).
(7) Based on analysis of data published by the Department of Health on 30 June 2011. There were 1,250 compulsory redundancies in the last quarter of 2010/11, 234 of which were clinical staff. This compares to 769 in the previous quarter, of which 119 were clinical staff, and 432 in the second quarter of 2010/11, of which 112 were clinical staff.
(8) Based on analysis published by the Department of Health on 24 June 2011. 2,291 delayed transfers of care were recorded from providers of acute care in May 2011, an increase of 150 on the previous month.