NHS leaders were recently reminded to prioritize safety over A&E targets when setting objectives.

“We must remain realistic regarding what can be accomplished within the next month or two. NHS leaders were also given strict orders to take all possible steps to minimize ambulance delays when transporting patients – at the start of December two thirds of ambulance crews experienced long waits that prevented them from responding promptly to 999 calls. To meet their target of seeing 95% of patients within four hours after they arrive. Figures for October reveal just 73% are. After attending a meeting attended by 700 health leaders either physically present or remotely, Streeting said “we inherited an NHS that saw an annual winter crisis as its norm”. As December approaches, services are experiencing record pressures. To best prepare ourselves for what lies ahead, patient safety needs to remain top of mind – I encourage trusts to focus on ambulance delays, handovers and A&E wait times as part of their strategic plans for success in 2018. “NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard, who also attended, warned of unprecedented demand heading into winter for health services in England. “Patient safety must remain our number-one priority and speaking with local leaders this afternoon, I made this abundantly clear: in order to manage demand effectively and prioritize those patients with urgent needs,” the health secretary stated. Dr Tim Cooksley from Society for Acute Medicine expressed some disquiet over whether this announcement constituted “an unnecessary and counter-productive exercise”. “The harsh reality is not that hospitals or frontline staff on the frontline are meeting targets fraudulently; rather they simply can’t deliver safe care even though they make every attempt possible given their daunting situation.” “He also accused the government of failing to devise an adequate strategy to address pressures within emergency care, noting their primary goal for this parliament of meeting 18-week targets for non-urgent care while not making commitments towards meeting A&E performance targets like four hour timeslot. When Labour were in opposition last year they stated their goal would include A&E performance targets but this promise has since been scrapped; ministers cannot offer guarantees it will be met.