All articles by Rob Findlay – Page 8
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CommentAverage waiting time for NHS operations hits six months thanks to covid
The request to postpone elective care was enacted quickly and comprehensively, the latest RTT data suggests. By Rob Findlay
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CommentThe state of elective waiting times before covid-19
Rob Findlay’s insight on the last RTT data before the covid-19 elective shutdown leads to the conclusion that now is a good time to take stock
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CommentHow Covid19 may impact NHS elective waiting times
An elective shutdown during the covid-19 outbreak is likely to affect the very longest waiting patients most
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CommentWaits drift upwards as lack of focus continues
Waiting times are creeping up as waiting list management processes wither
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CommentRTT waits jump to 25 weeks
Elective waiting times jumped to 25 weeks in England, as admission rates fell unusually low even for a December. By Rob Findlay
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CommentNHS England has got it right on beds
Was the centre right to call for lower bed occupancy? Yes, says Rob Findlay.
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CommentWaiting list would need to shrink to 2015 levels, to re-achieve 18-week waits
Four years of waiting list growth would need to be undone to achieve the NHS Constitution standard again, says Rob Findlay
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CommentIt’s a bad autumn for the waiting list as admissions falter
When the NHS keeps up with demand, the waiting list shrinks in the autumn. It isn’t shrinking, notes Rob Findlay
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CommentAnalysis: Managing to the RTT target
In an ideal world, NHS hospitals would manage their elective waiting lists according to the needs of patients. Clinically urgent patients would be treated quickly, and routine patients would be treated on a first come, first served basis within a reasonable time. But the world is not ideal, explains Rob Findlay.
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NewsWhat would an 8.5 weeks average elective target look like?
Referral-to-treatment waiting times are under review, and average (mean) waiting times are being trialled as a possible replacement for the current “92 per cent within 18 weeks” target.
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CommentBiggest ever waiting list as general election looms
The best way for the next government to reduce waiting times will be steadily and patiently, by keeping up with demand. Not with a blitz of waiting list initiatives.
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CommentRTT waits at 24 weeks as long waits deteriorate sharply
August saw a sudden increase in elective waiting times, putting at risk the NHS long-term plan’s promise of choice at six months.
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CommentMajority of local services are now breaching 18 weeks
At the end of July, less than 49 per cent of hospital services were achieving the 18 week RTT target, notes Rob Findlay
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CommentHitting RTT target now almost 'a minority sport'
Waiting times improved in June, but the underlying waiting list pressures kept growing as activity remained short of demand, says Rob Findlay
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CommentWaiting times reach 23 weeks as admissions falter
Elective waiting times have risen from 22 weeks to 23 weeks over the last 14 months, and there is still no end in sight. The target, of course, is just 18 weeks.
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CommentShould pilot sites ‘go dark’ while testing new A&E measures?
The arguments for ‘going dark’ look weak, compared with the damage to official statistics and public confidence in them, writes Rob Findlay
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Comment18 weeks “no longer important”?
English waiting times will continue to grow, indefinitely, until the NHS gets closer to keeping up with demand. By Rob Findlay
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CommentSuccess on one-year waits, but waiting list grows to record-breaking size
The English NHS achieved its important ambition to halve the number of one-year waiters during 2018-19. However, the underlying waiting list continued to grow, reaching record levels and frustrating the other main ambition for elective waits. By Rob Findlay
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CommentWaiting list grows 7.3 per cent
The English waiting list is still growing, and the admission rate still faltering, despite the promises and plans, notes Rob Findlay
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CommentWe are taking the wrong approach on managing hospital beds
A better understanding of risk will underpin the case for reducing today’s high bed occupancies.












