Amanda Pritchard reveals the ongoing strain on the health service and the challenges it faces in recovering from the pandemic.
Amanda Pritchard, the CEO of NHS England, has described the current pressure on the health service as unlike anything she has witnessed in her 25 years within the sector. She also cautioned that full recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic could take up to two more years.
In an interview with The Times, Pritchard outlined how NHS England is grappling with worsening performance, citing alarming new data. According to NHS England statistics, one in 10 patients faced waits of over three-and-a-half hours for ambulances, with response times hitting record lows. In December, the average response time for life-threatening emergencies, such as heart attacks and strokes, was 10 minutes and 57 seconds, significantly exceeding the seven-minute target.
Furthermore, category two emergencies, including suspected strokes and heart attacks, saw ambulances taking an average of 1 hour, 32 minutes, and 54 seconds to respond, well over the target of 18 minutes. In December, 54,532 patients were left waiting more than 12 hours in A&E before being admitted, and only 65% of patients were seen within four hours, the worst recorded performance for England’s emergency departments.
Pritchard also spoke about the shortage of skilled staff, highlighting the importance of increasing training places at universities to meet growing demand. She revealed that many universities are turning away highly qualified applicants due to limited capacity, affecting medical, nursing, and therapy degrees. The NHS chief stressed the need for greater self-reliance in staffing, aiming to reduce dependence on agency workers, who currently cost the NHS £3 billion annually.
In the interview, she acknowledged that while the NHS is facing unprecedented pressure, it is not without hope for improvement. Pritchard suggested that the NHS could emerge stronger over time, but there is no quick fix to the challenges it faces, especially with the ongoing effects of the pandemic.
