Who’s waiting? NHS waiting times depend on who you’re looking at

[Northerner]

In a point of order following today’s Prime Minister’s Questions, Andy Burnham and David Cameron seemed to disagree about what the figures show on NHS waiting times.

So who’s right?

It depends on whether we’re talking about those patients who began treatment in April, or about those who were still waiting at the end of that month. We’ve chosen to focus on the 18 week part of the Prime Minister’s claim.

https://fullfact.org/health/waiting_times_nhs_pmqs_david_cameron_andy_burnham-33555

 

[Andy HB]

I am not looking forward to the general election when the main parties will be arguing about statistics on this subject!

Labour highlighting the increase in the number of people having to wait 4hrs in A&E and the conservatives saying that the average wait time has reduced.

They are probably both right and who is to say which is best/worst?

Yawn!!

 

[Northerner]

David Cameron's A&E waiting time claim questioned

House of Commons library says PM's claim waiting times have fallen is "simplistic" and contradicted by better data sets.

David Cameron's claim that A&E waiting times are getting shorter have been questioned by the House of Commons Library.

The Prime Minister’s claim that the average waiting time in NHS hospitals has fallen from 77 minutes under Labour to 30 under the Coalition is based on a “simplistic reading” of statistics.

The measure Mr Cameron used “is not the most natural indicator of ‘average waiting time’ in A&E”, the analysis found.

The intervention is significant to the Prime Minister because the House of Commons Library, which compiles research for MPs, is widely regarded by both parties as authoritative and non-partisan. It rarely makes comment on the merit of MPs’ claims in the chamber.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/n...rons-AandE-waiting-time-claim-questioned.html

'Con'Dems 🙄