The major shift in the latest Barometer survey of acute trust chief executives was a slowdown in elective activity. Thirty-eight per cent of respondents said they did less activity than planned in July, while 24 per cent did the same amount. This compared with 8 per cent and 48 per cent in the May survey.

The major shift in the latest Barometer survey of acute trust chief executives was a slowdown in elective activity. Thirty-eight per cent of respondents said they did less activity than planned in July, while 24 per cent did the same amount. This compared with 8 per cent and 48 per cent in the May survey.

Reflecting this, two-thirds of respondents said they expected to close wards and almost one in five said they would delay operations over the next six months in an effort to save money.

On the confidence scores, there were rises in optimism on most of the major reform areas, although there was a small fall on the 18-week target.

The HSJ Barometer survey is based on a panel of 70 chief executives, who give a score of one to 10 against key indicators. These figures shows results taken at the end of July.