What is NHS targets?
The [[National Health Service]] measures how well it is doing by setting what are called targets. These are things that can be counted. The targets are changed over time. The targets, and how they are measured, are different in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. None of the targets covering A&E, [[cancer]] or waiting times for planned care have been met in the UK since 2016.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2024-01-11|title=The key NHS targets that have never been met|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/health-67884322|access-date=2024-01-11}}</ref> The target which gets most attention is the four-hour target in [[Emergency department|emergency departments]]. People should be seen, treated, and [[Patient#Inpatient and Outpatient|admitted]] to the hospital or sent home in under four hours. This was first measured in 2004. Since 2010 the number of people waiting more than 4 hours has gone up every year. July 2015 was the last month the target was met for 95% of patients in England.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Illman2022-09-28T13:47:00|first=James|title=Recovery Watch: Will NHSE ever kill off the four-hour target?|url=https://www.hsj.co.uk/expert-briefings/recovery-watch-will-nhse-ever-kill-off-the-four-hour-target/7033339.article|access-date=2023-02-05|website=Health Service Journal|language=en}}</ref> There were plans to change the target but in November 2022 it was to stay for at least 2 more years.<ref>{{Cite web|last=2022-11-24|title=Daily Insight: The target that refuses to die|url=https://www.hsj.co.uk/daily-insight/daily-insight-the-target-that-refuses-to-die/7033748.article|access-date=2023-02-10|website=Health Service Journal|language=en}}</ref> [[File:4_Hour_waits_2011-2018.jpg|thumb|Percent of patients in English A&E departments waiting over 4 hours, monthly, 2011-2018]] In December 2022 more than 54,500 patients waited over 12 hours in emergency departments in England after doctors decided they needed a hospital bed. That is the highest-ever number and almost treble the figure f