NHS leaders are preparing to risk a backlash by relaxing long-established key treatment waiting time targets, including hospitals’ duty to deal with A&E patients within four hours.
Simon Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England, admitted it was considering changing the system under which 95% of A&E arrivals were meant to be seen and admitted, discharged or transferred within four hours.
The shake-up could see people with only minor ailments, such as a sprain, forced to wait longer, while priority is given to those with more serious conditions.
Full Story: The Guardian, 7 January 2019