‘Diamond’ NHS better than ever say chiefs

Mar 20 2008 by Katie Campling, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

CARE is better than ever in the NHS’s diamond jubilee year, say health bosses.

There are 30,000 more doctors and nurses caring for patients in Yorkshire than there were 10 years ago, say health bosses for Yorkshire and Humberside.

Health chiefs say the past 10 years have also seen patients being treated faster and waiting times being cut. They say more procedures are being treated as day cases than ever before and patients are recovering quicker.

Margaret Edwards, chief executive of NHS Yorkshire and the Humber, said: “In its 60th year the NHS is in good health. We have record numbers of staff and the shortest waiting times in a generation.

“We know patients are being seen more quickly and better nursing care sees patients recovering quickly. The average amount of time someone has to stay in hospital has been cut by a third in the past 10 years.

“We’ve made enormous progress. By the end of this year no-one will have to wait more than 18 weeks from the time they are referred by their GP to the start of their treatment.”

Every day medical staff in Yorkshire see 140,000 patients. To cope with the workload the number of medical staff has risen from 111,616 in 1997 to 143,890 in 2007. The number of NHS nurses has risen by 7,783 since 1997, going from 33,398 to 41,181.

Since 1997 the amount of practising GPs has risen from 3,021 to 3,799.

In the last decade the life expectancy of males in Yorkshire has risen by three years, from 73 to 76.

For women it has gone up by two years, from 79 to 81.

Despite achievements over the past decade Ms Edwards said more progress would be made.

She added: “I know there is always more to be done, but it’s encouraging to see investment reaping real results and patients getting the high-quality treatment they have every right to expect from their NHS.

“These are all enormous achievements, but we are not resting on our laurels.

“The Yorkshire and Humber NHS Next Stage Review will be published in May and will provide a blueprint for improving services for the next generation.”