13 June 2008
Meeting new targets means hospital patients wait less time for their treatment
Patients in mid Essex are now waiting less time for their hospital treatment as over 90% are being treated within 18 weeks.
Over the last six months the Mid Essex Primary Care Trust and Mid Essex Hospitals Trust have been working together to ensure that patients have better access to a wide range of services and elective treatments. The national programme called "End Waiting Change Lives" set a challenge to all Trusts to reduce the time a patient waits from referral to treatment to a maximum wait of 18 weeks.
The standard set by the Department of Health required Trusts to treat 85% of admitted patients and 90% of outpatients within a maximum time of 18 weeks by the end March 2008. Mid Essex Hospitals exceeded this target, treating 89.5% of admitted patients and 93.2% of outpatients within 18 weeks.
Terri Agnew, 18 week programme lead, said:” When the programme began in September 2007 the Trust was treating 34% of admitted patients within 18 weeks and 86 %of non admitted. This week we are treating 92.1% of admitted patients and 98.9% of non admitted - what a difference!
“Achievement of this target has been the result of a lot of hard work by many people from clinicians to clerical staff. This has been achieved by everyone involved in the patient’s treatment working together, as they all have an important part to play. This includes the GP who makes the initial referral, the admin staff at the hospital, the clinicians who treat the patient, staff involved in the diagnostic process and the patients themselves. This achievement is great news for patients as it means they now have shorter waiting times than ever before.”
The Trust must now ensure this level of performance can be sustained to meet the targets, which have been brought forward from December 2008 to October 2008, of 90% of inpatients treated within 18 weeks and 95% of outpatients.
Terri adds:” We are confident that with our current level of performance we will meet, and exceed, the December targets, early.”
ENDS
Media contact : Jo Triggs tel: (01245) 514235 | Mobile : 0790 005 4948
Powered by EasySite™