NHS leaders fear ‘return to 1999’

Four NHS trust chief executives have publicly highlighted the health service’s declining ability to treat patients quickly enough.

Posting on social media site Twitter, the four NHS bosses emphasised lengthening waits for care in the NHS, similar to those experienced in 1999, while lamenting the staff retention and budget restriction challenges.

Tweeting on 19 October, Andrew Foster, chief executive of Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust, said: “A perfect storm of funding and workforce shortages vs an abundance of patients. I see people everywhere working unbelievably hard.”

This followed Sarah-Jane Marsh’s tweet from 17 October, in which the chief executive of Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Trust said: “It’s hard to watch us lose all we have achieved since 2000. But every year of reduced funding per patient and it seems further from our grasp.”

Tony Chambers, from the Countess of Chester hospital, echoed: “Difficult to watch - Feels like a return to 1999 - this time with virtually no social care. We need to urgently integrate health & care.”

Their comments follow disclosures by the BBC that more patients are waiting longer than the NHS Constitution says they should for A&E care, cancer treatment and non-urgent hospital operations.