The NHS is currently experiencing one of the busiest summer periods on record, with statistics published today showing that A&E attendances averaged 70,000 a day in July – an increase of almost 20,000 from this time last year. July was also a busy month for the ambulance service, with over one million calls to 999 answered. Latest figures on the backlog also published today show that a record number of people – more than 4.5 million – are awaiting hospital treatment in England.
There are glimmers of hope, however. The same figures show that the number of patients waiting longer than 18 weeks for care has dropped by almost 25,000 while those waiting more than a year fell by almost 32,000. Average waiting times for elective care are also down for the fourth month in a row to 10.4 weeks, which is more than seven weeks lower than this time last year.
The team at Whitehouse present their latest report on NHS reform, which takes a look back at developments relating to the health service and looks ahead to what is coming up on the subject. This week’s report can be found here.
Political consultancy
The Whitehouse team are experts in providing public affairs, consultancy advice and political analysis to a wide range of clients engaging with health and social care providers and policy makers, not only in the United Kingdom, but also across the member states of the European Union and beyond. For more information, please contact our Chairman and Director of Health and Social Care Policy, Chris Whitehouse, at chris.whitehouse@whitehousecomms.com.
