Patient experience will only improve if the NHS can sustain the gains from delivery of the 18-week referral to treatment target, delegates at the NHS Confederation conference have been told.

Speaking at a conference session on the 18-week target, Lynne Maher, head of innovation practice at the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, called on trusts to focus on planning for sustainability, both in the local health community and through future national developments in planned care.

Ms Maher said it was a natural instinct to implement first and think about sustainability when the project ended. But she added: "Actually to achieve sustainability, you effectively need excellent implementation."

Her research led her to develop the NHS sustainability model, a diagnostic tool that help NHS improvement teams assess the sustainability of improvement efforts.

Session participants also discussed the increasing emphasis on commissioning for outcomes, focusing on the work on patient-reported outcome measures.

Dr Alan Nye, GP clinical lead on 18 weeks at the Department of Health, said: "The timing of PROMs in the pathway is critical as it allows trusts to drive a measure of healthcare."

To read more on Dr Maher's views on sustainability, visit www.18weeks.nhs.uk

For more rolling news from the NHS Confederation conference, visit the news section

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