Jul 26 2005
Commenting on the latest publication of NHS Trust star ratings, Dr Paul Miller, chairman of the BMA's consultants' committee, said:
"Clearly, the public has a right to know how well its hospitals are performing but patients should not use the star ratings to judge the quality of care they can expect to receive. These ratings focus primarily on hospitals' ability to meet political targets and take little account of the standard of clinical care or the success of treatments or operations.
"The BMA has long called for a better system that uses fewer targets and gives patients more useful information. We are pleased that the Healthcare Commission is, from next year, introducing new standards to measure hospitals' performance. Patients deserve better information about their hospitals and both doctors and managers would benefit from having accurate and relevant data to help improve patient care."
On A&E:
"The BMA has, for some time, highlighted the pressures faced by staff working in A&E departments. They have all been working exceptionally hard to meet the Government's four-hour waiting time target despite an overwhelming increase in attendances. However, the target is just not realistic or sustainable. Attempting to process 100 per cent of patients within four hours is not always clinically appropriate and would be ill-conceived and a threat to patient safety unless departments are given significantly more resources to increase capacity."
On financial performance:
"Although NHS trusts have, for many years, struggled with their finances, some are now in serious financial difficulty which has led to cuts in patient services. Trust managers face balancing rising patient activity with an ever-increasing number of Government initiatives and performance targets, not all of which are properly thought out or funded."