Deadly cost of axing A&E wait targets
SCRAPPING NHS waiting times targets for ambulances and A&E could cost lives, experts warn.
A senior coroner has written to Health Secretary Steve Barclay outlining incidents where emergency delays “caused or contributed to a death”.
It came after Mr Barclay said he wants “less diktat from the centre”, while Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is reportedly pushing to cut all but a few national performance measures.
Last month a record of over 45% of patients faced four-hour waits in major A&Es – historically under 5% of patients were made to wait this long.
Chris Thomas of the Institute for Public Policy Research said: “National standards must not be thoughtlessly dropped.”