18 weeks waiting

Across the country, NHS Trusts are committed to ensuring that, by the end of 2008, no patient will wait more than 18 weeks from GP referral to treatment. 18 Weeks is the maximum period for which patients have said they are prepared to wait for treatment. In many cases, the wait will be much shorter, but the 18 Weeks programme is designed to ensure that there is a clear maximum, applied consistently across the country.

Within Cambridgeshire, we are committed to delivering faster, better care and scrutinising every aspect of our activities to make sure we're supporting this. We're examining what we do, and the way we work with other organisations, to make sure we are helping to move patients through the system quickly and effectively, delivering the care they need and removing any unnecessary delays in the process.

But to deliver this in practice, we also need patients to do their bit. Our staff will do what they can to change working arrangements and streamline processes where needed, but we need patients and the wider public to play their part in bringing down waiting times. For example:

• Taking control of their own healthcare and doing what they can to protect their own good health (eg. with diet or lifestyle choices)
• Accessing the right parts of the system for the right elements of care (eg. visiting a GP rather than going straight to hospital)
• Making sure they keep appointments made for them (whether this is with GPs or for hospital/specialist treatment when referred) and, if they have to cancel such appointments, doing so in plenty of time so they can be re-arranged with minimum impact on the 18 Week timescale
• Discussing treatment with their GP and considering the options if a shorter wait is available in a hospital or treatment centre other than their local one
• Responding to any correspondence quickly and clearly
• Giving feedback about their care and experience through patient surveys so Trusts can understand where progress is being made and where further attention should be focussed.

All of us need to play our part in the process to ensure we can bring down waiting times and make 18 Weeks a consistent reality. This will help give patients access to faster, better care, benefiting the individuals concerned and the community as a whole.

For further information visit the 18 Weeks - End Waiting, Change Lives website at www.18weeks.nhs.uk/endwaiting