Article published by HSJ on 3rd November 2017. Original article can be accessed here.

It’s time to look again at the four hour accident and emergency target due to the rising pressure on the sector, says Peter Spilsbury

The system’s failure to meet the four hour accident and emergency target ahead of what is predicted to be one of the most challenging winters the NHS has faced in recent years is without question deeply concerning.

This is a note of an interview with Matt Fenech of Future Advocacy, a UK think tank. We interviewed Matt in relation to a scenario planning project the Strategy Unit is currently undertaking for a programme that is seeking to transform how population health is managed at a local level, improving patient outcomes and making more efficient use of resource.

The country’s major accident and emergency (A&E) departments are struggling more than ever before to see patients within the government target of four hours – but that is not all bad news.

The Strategy Unit was commissioned by NHS England to provide tailored reports to each of the Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships in England.

The Strategy Unit has recently completed a £116,000 research project that will inform the development of new care models central to the NHS Five Year Forward View.  The project, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), aims to combine existing reported knowledge in an “evidence synthesis” of integrated models of care.  The team worked in partnership with the School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, which has an international reputation in evidence synthesis and health services research.

The Five Year Forward View set out an ambitious vision for the future of the NHS, which aims to deliver improved health, patient care and efficiency.