Havering CCG put under NHS England management over waiting times
NHS England has put Havering CCG under performance management over waiting times. Credit: PA Images - Credit: PA WIRE
The length of waiting times has seen Havering’s Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), put under the direct supervision of NHS England.
Havering CCG, which plans the delivery of health services in the borough, has been put under performance management by NHS England.
The body, which leads the NHS in England, will oversee the formation of a “credible” plan to tackle the issue by September.
The CCG is the second group in the country to be made subject to this direction since April.
Earlier this year, the Recorder reported that chief executive of Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) Matthew Hopkins apologised after 1,000 patients waited more than a year for treatment.
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The NHS England direction will create a plan to assess the capacity of each care provider and ensure patients on the BHRUT backlog are treated by the hospital or in the community.
A spokeswoman from Havering CCG acknowledged waiting times are “a major issue for us as commissioners”.
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“We are disappointed that NHS England has applied legal directions to the CCG in respect of the ongoing referral to treatment (RTT) challenge we face locally, however, we welcome the extra support that this gives to the system to continue our focus on resolving this issue,” she said.
In a statement, the CCG said a plan to address the problem was already in place and having “a considerable impact” with 400 fewer patients having waited more than 52 weeks.
Havering CCG is now expecting better results in the coming months.
“We will work to provide NHS England with the necessary assurance of these improvements, leading to the ultimate lifting of the Directions,” it added.
An NHS England spokeswoman said: “After carefully considering Havering CCG’s ongoing challenges with commissioning referral to treatment times, we have decided that they will be best addressed through the formal powers of direction. This will allow us to temporarily guide and support the CCG to make improvements at the pace needed and strengthen work already commenced by the CCG.
“This is a positive development for the people that the CCG serves - everyone involved in delivering health care in the area is working together to address problems, and ensure that patients continue to receive high quality standards of care.”
