Smaller trusts have shorter referral times

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You will wait one day less for treatment if you go to a smaller healthcare trust

Smaller hospital trusts are outperforming larger ones, having shorter waiting times between referrals and treatment and a lower day case average.

The figures, collected by healthcare data company CHKS, showed that trusts with fewer than 350 beds beat larger hospitals with regards to day case rates, and also had a lower waiting time between referrals and treatments, with patients waiting 21 days compared to 22 for bigger hospitals.

Is smaller better?

Jason Harries, managing director of CHKS, told HSJ “There are instances where larger trust performance will be better, but it is worth looking at these areas where smaller trusts’ performance is better to see whether anything can be learned from the smaller trusts.”

Ian Blunt, senior Nuffield Trust research analyst said “In terms of the wider debate going on at the moment, I think the idea that we have to choose between large hospitals or smaller hospitals is a flase dichotomy.”