More surgical hubs and an updated NHS app are among a raft of proposals set out by the government in a bid to cut hospital waiting times.
The proposals are part of the Elective Reform Plan, announced this week, which sets out how the government will slash the waiting list and cut waiting times to 18 weeks by the end of this Parliament.
The waiting list currently stands at 7.5million, with more than 3million having already waited longer than the 18-week target.
In May 2024, data from the House of Commons Library revealed that waiting time targets had been missed every single month since 2015 by 22 hospital trusts including King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and St George’s University NHS Foundation Trust.
Both South London trusts said patient demand – which is higher than ever – coupled with the impact of Covid and strike action over the past year has increased waiting times.
As part of the Elective Reform Plan, the Government has set a national target for 65 per cent of people to be seen or treated within 18 weeks of their referral by March 2026.
To help tackle the backlog, community diagnostic centres and surgical hubs will be expanded to allow more treatment outside of hospitals.
The NHS app will also get a major upgrade to allow patients to monitor and book consultations, view test results and even choose where to be treated.
Patients have a legal right to choose their provider for treatments, but less than a quarter recall being offered a choice, the Department of Health and Social Care spokeswoman said.
Under new measures, patients will be offered a wider choice of providers – including private clinics – with the app offering a “smooth” booking process, she added.
Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting said: “If the wealthy can choose where and when they are treated, then working class patients should be able to as well, and this government will give them that choice.
“Our plan will reform the NHS, so patients are fully informed every step of the way through their care, they are given proper choice to go to a different provider for a shorter wait, and put in control of their own healthcare.”
The first step in the digital overhaul will be completed by March, when patients at more than 85 per cent of trusts will be able to view their appointment details via the NHS app.
NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said: “NHS staff are providing record levels of elective care but with too many patients waiting, we know we need to reform further and faster so we can take our progress on the backlog to the next level.
“That is why as part of the Elective Reform Plan we will fully harness the potential of the NHS app, giving patients more information, choice and control over their care while freeing up the time of our staff so they can work more productively too.”
(Picture: Flickr/ Create Health)
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