Matt Morgan: Jumping the queue to make it smaller

The NHS waiting list in England reached 7.57 million at the end of June. It’s now more than double the population of Wales, with 383 000 patients waiting more than a year for treatment.1 But, waiting lists apart, the NHS is still a very efficient organisation overall. International comparisons show that it has some of the highest use of cheaper generic medicines and lowest budgets spent on administration.2 Any drive towards car factory levels of productivity,34 for example, may therefore produce little additional mileage.The alternative of pouring in more staff takes time, is expensive, and doesn’t tackle the exit flood that needs to be stopped.5 However, with sickness rates of NHS staff at 5.6%, special treatment may be needed.6 These reported rates translate to a staggering 74 500 full time staff off sick in 2022, including 2900 doctors and 20 400 nurses. The true extent is probably even higher, given…
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