Box 3.

The NHS Performance Rating System – key targets for acute hospitals [27]

♦ Shorter inpatient waiting lists

♦ No inpatients waiting more than 18 months for inpatient treatment

♦ Reduction in outpatient waiting

♦ Fewer patients waiting on trolleys for more than 12 hours

♦ Less than 1% of operations cancelled on the day

♦ No patients with suspected breast cancer waiting more than two weeks to be seen in hospital

♦ Commitment to improving the working lives of staff

♦ Hospital cleanliness

♦ A satisfactory financial position

♦ Not receiving a critical report from the Commission for Health Improvement