NHS national targets to be reviewed

The Scottish Government will review its national targets for Scotland’s NHS, health secretary Shona Robison has announced.

An expert group will look at whether government targets help or hinder the transformation of health services in Scotland.

In recent weeks health boards have struggled to meet targets. NHS Tayside, for example, has failed to meet the government’s 18-week treatment guarantee for 15 months, while last month NHS Lothian warned A&E targets were “unlikely to be met”.

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The British Medical Association (BMA) and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in Scotland called for a rethink of NHS targets before the election.

Speaking during the first health debate of the new parliament, Robison said: “Targets have an important place in our NHS and there are certain standards, such as the four-hour A&E target, which patients have the right to expect.

“In many areas, Scotland leads the way in terms of the performance and quality of our health and care services and I am determined to protect that reputation.

“But as we enter a new parliamentary term, the time is now right to take stock of what we are asking from the NHS to ensure our approach is consistent with our focus on improving the outcomes for patients and shifting the delivery of care from hospitals to the community.”

Jill Vickerman, National Director, BMA Scotland welcomed today’s announcement.

“Such a review should focus on how measurement and public reporting of health service activity can drive the most effective use of resources, and ensure that the clinical needs of patients are prioritised according to those who have the most urgent medical needs,” she said.

The review will publish either this year or next.

Meanwhile figures released from Information Services Division (ISD) ahead of the debate revealed 161,656 people are employed by the NHS in Scotland, a record high.

However the ISD Scotland report also showed that the use of agency staff was increasing, with bank nurses covering more than 8.3m hours in hospitals.

RCN Scotland Director Theresa Fyffe said the figures showed current budgets were not sustainable. “These figures clearly show that health boards are struggling to deliver services to more and more people, with budgets which are not keeping pace with the increasing demands on the NHS. Nursing staff are also under pressure at work, with the majority feeling they do not have time to care for patients as they would wish to,” she said.