Sixty seconds on . . . NHS productivity

What’s the problem now?NHS productivity is in the news again, with disagreements over how it’s measured and whether the NHS in England will meet the “ambitious” 2% a year increase in productivity target in the government’s NHS long term workforce plan.1How is NHS productivity measured?The Office for National Statistics (ONS) measures healthcare productivity by comparing the total quantity of healthcare provided with the amount of money going to the service and the number of staff.2Does that reflect reality?Not according to NHS England’s chief executive Amanda Pritchard, who told MPs this week that the way NHS productivity is measured underestimates how much work is actually being done.What isn’t counted?Pritchard said that the measurements do not consider community care, critical care, diagnostics, and where investment has been made to improve quality rather than quantity of care—for example, in maternity wards.Uh oh, I sense another productivity reviewYou’re right. The NHS has reportedly commissioned…
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