PM Unveils Plans to End NHS Waiting List Backlogs
Millions of NHS patients are set to benefit from faster, more convenient care under a new government plan aimed at tackling England’s 7.5 million-strong hospital waiting list. The Elective Reform Plan, unveiled by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, focuses on meeting the NHS's long-standing 18-week referral-to-treatment target by the end of this Parliament.
Starmer said, “This Government promised change and that is what I am fighting every day to deliver. NHS backlogs have ballooned in recent years, leaving millions of patients languishing on waiting lists, often in pain or fear. Lives on hold. Potential unfulfilled. This elective reform plan will deliver on our promise to end the backlogs. Millions more appointments. Greater choice and convenience for patients. Staff once again able to give the standard of care they desperately want to. This is a key plank of our Plan for Change, which will drive growth that puts more money in people’s pockets, secures our borders and makes the NHS fit for the future so what working people live longer, healthier, more prosperous lives.”
Key measures include expanding Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) and creating new surgical hubs to deliver care closer to patients’ homes. CDCs will operate 12 hours a day, seven days a week, enabling quicker access to diagnostic tests without relying on hospitals. Surgical hubs will focus on common, less complex procedures, with 14 new hubs expected by June 2024.
The plan also includes greater use of private clinics to handle procedures like joint replacements and gynaecological surgeries. While this approach has sparked debate, Starmer emphasized, “I’m not interested in putting ideology before patients.”
Under the new initiative, up to half a million extra appointments are expected annually from the extended CDC hours and surgical hubs. Additionally, unnecessary follow-up appointments will be abolished unless patients request them, freeing up an estimated one million slots per year.
Patients will have more control over their care through the NHS App, which will allow them to book appointments, access test results, and choose treatment locations based on wait times and satisfaction scores. The app will also harness AI to predict missed appointments and improve efficiency.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said, “The NHS should work around patients’ lives, not the other way around. By opening community diagnostic centres on high streets 12 hours a day, seven days a week, patients will now be able to arrange their tests and scans for when they go to do their weekend shopping, rather than being forced to take time out of work.”
The government aims to treat 65% of patients within 18 weeks by March 2026, reducing the backlog by 450,000 people. The ultimate goal is to restore the 92% benchmark by the end of the Parliament in 2028.
NHS England Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard highlighted the plan's transformative potential, saying, “The radical reforms in this plan will not only allow us to deliver millions more tests, appointments and operations, but do things differently too – boosting convenience and putting more power in the hands of patients, especially through the NHS app.”
While the plan has been welcomed by many, concerns remain about staffing levels and whether the ambitious targets can be met. The government has pledged to address these challenges through funding and structural reforms to ensure the NHS can deliver on its promise.
See the full government press release here.
