State of the provider sector<\/a><\/em> survey, Sir Julian Hartley, Chief Executive of NHS Providers, said: \u201cThese results paint a very concerning picture about the challenges the health and care sector faces. Patient care and safety are front and centre in everything that trusts do. But the stark reality is that NHS trusts are facing their toughest test yet.<\/p>\n\u201cAs we head into what\u2019s expected to be another gruelling winter, the spectre of more strike action continues to loom large over the health service. Efforts to bear down on waiting lists \u2013 a government priority \u2013 have been hit hard by industrial action. With targets to tackle record waiting lists already being watered down, any further walkouts would compromise the NHS\u2019 ability to deliver efforts to reduce care backlogs and lead to more delays in planned and emergency care.<\/p>\n
Money worries continue to mount with more than three in four trust leaders (76 per cent) saying they are set to be in a worse financial position than last year. Funding pressures are fuelling concerns about future patient safety and the quality of care as well as threatening to hit trusts\u2019 ability to ramp up services as they brace for winter.<\/p>\n
Steps to date to curb costs have included shelving plans for more beds, having to put on hold recruitment to plug gaps in the workforce, and reducing investment in community and mental health facilities.<\/p>\n
Healthcare leaders say that the toughest test yet for trusts is coming, as winter and budget pressures bite. More strikes would undermine efforts to cut waiting lists, and a sustained focus on the quality of patient care is essential, said respondents.<\/p>\n
Despite the huge challenges, the survey showed an undiminished determination to keep improving patient care, giving them the right care in the right place. Trusts\u2019 commitment to addressing race and health inequalities remains as strong as ever, the report finds, with 86 per cent of trusts surveyed prioritising race equality and tackling discrimination.<\/p>\n
However, the survey also found that trust leaders are deeply concerned about the impact of winter pressures on their ability to meet demand and provide high-quality care. They are calling for urgent government action to address the funding squeeze and support the workforce, as well as to invest in social care.<\/p>\n
Without this action, they warn that further progress in cutting delays for patients will be put at risk.<\/p>\n
\n“Ultimately, it’s patients who will suffer”<\/h3>\n
Sir Julian Harley added: \u201cThe NHS can\u2019t afford further strikes. Talks between the government and doctors\u2019 union are promising and it\u2019s absolutely vital that ministers pull every lever they can to break the deadlock.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe major, systemic financial pressures providers continue to face are adding to trust leaders\u2019 worries alongside widespread staff shortages with more than 125,000 vacancies in the NHS in England, and soaring demand for many NHS services.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe direct costs of hiring temporary cover for striking staff and the indirect costs of rescheduled appointments and procedures are having major knock-on consequences for trusts, including weakening their ability to recover care backlogs for hospitals, community and mental health services.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrusts are having to tighten their belts to find unprecedented efficiency savings while inflation squeezes already strained budgets, leaving little in reserve to invest in the extra capacity they need to deal with winter demand. There is palpable frustration at the Treasury\u2019s unwillingness to provide extra funding to tackle the fallout from nearly a year of industrial action.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe consequences of forcing NHS England and the DHSC to raid their budgets to make up this funding shortfall will be felt far and wide, putting the core NHS budget under further strain and much needed projects, including digital transformation, on the back burner. Ultimately, it\u2019s patients who pay the price.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite these multiple challenges, credit must go to trust leaders and their staff who have reduced the longest waits for treatment and continue to work flat out to see patients as quickly as they can.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir determination to deliver timely, high-quality care for patients is unshakeable. Their desire to improve services and build on the achievements of the NHS is undimmed. They are doing great work, often in the most difficult circumstances, but it\u2019s clear that they face their toughest test yet as winter and budgets bite.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nThe full \u2018State of the provider sector\u2019 report can be accessed here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New state of the provider sector report finds trust leaders anticipating \u201ctoughest winter\u201d, with low morale and high levels of burnout fuelling concerns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":4980,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[31,25],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/integratedcarejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4979"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/integratedcarejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/integratedcarejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/integratedcarejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/35"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/integratedcarejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4979"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/integratedcarejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4979\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5049,"href":"https:\/\/integratedcarejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4979\/revisions\/5049"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/integratedcarejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/integratedcarejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/integratedcarejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/integratedcarejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}