Targets: unintended and unanticipated effects

Targets have assumed a central role in the management of healthcare and public services more generally in the UK over the last 25 years. They emerged from ideas of ‘new public management’ in the 1980s and of a strong performance management approach under prime minister Tony Blair from 1997.1 While targets can be effective2 and are an important part of public accountability, Quinn3 provides more evidence in this issue of the journal that they can also produce unintended or unanticipated consequences, some of which are unhelpful. They investigated the impact that an English NHS target has had on referral practices. The target in question was the ‘18-week referral to treatment standard’ introduced in 2012. The standard states that at least 92% of patients should have been waiting for less than 18 weeks for treatment after their referral. Quinn found strong evidence for a...

Source: BMJ Quality and Safety - November 20, 2023 Category: General Medicine Authors: Edwards, N., Black, S. Tags: Press releases Editorials Source Type: research