Labour plans to cut waiting times: What could it mean for you?
The prime minister promises to cut NHS waiting times in England from 18 months to 18 weeks over the next five years, ITV News Political Correspondent Romilly Weeks reports .
Patients will be able to book more tests and scans after work and at weekends as part of plans to free up millions of medical appointments and slash waiting lists for elective treatment.
The elective reform plan, published by NHS England and set out by the prime minister on Monday, is part of a drive to deliver two million extra appointments by the end of next year.
Labour’s “plan for change” pledges that by July 2029, 92% of patients will be seen within 18 weeks for pre-planned care such as hip and knee replacements.
Here, ITV News explain what changes are on the table.
New agreement with the private sector
More patients will be treated in private hospitals in a bid to cut the NHS waiting list.
Under a new deal outlined by the Department of Health, women on gynaecological waiting lists and orthopaedics patients are among those who will be offered treatment in the private sector, all funded by the NHS.
The independent sector has been told it must review its “clinical exclusion criteria” to ensure as “broad a cohort of patients as possible” can be treated in private hospitals, to prevent just the easiest operations being done privately.
In a speech on Monday, the prime minister described the expanded relationship with the privates sector as a "partnership in the national interest".
"I welcome a new agreement that will expand the relationship between the NHS and the private healthcare sector, make the spaces, the facilities and resources of private hospitals more readily available to the NHS.
“That’s more beds, more operations, more care available to the NHS. Treating patients free at the point of use, targeted at where we need the most."
More appointments after work and weekendsPeople will be able to book more tests and scans after work and at weekends as part of the plans, aiming to free up millions of appointments and help cut down waiting lists. Up to half a million more appointments a year are expected to be made available by extending opening hours at community diagnostic centres and through the creation of 14 new surgical hubs and the expansion of three by June.Giving patients the choice to forego follow-up appointments currently booked by default could free up to a million appointments.
Community diagnostic centres playing a bigger roleCommunity diagnostic centres will be open 12 hours a day, seven days a week, wherever possible and will offer a wider range of tests.There were 165 community diagnostic centres across England in August, based at sites such as shopping centres, university campuses and football stadiums.By making their opening hours longer, the government hopes people will be treated more quickly and conveniently in their neighbourhoods rather than having to rely on hospitals.Patients will also be able use the NHS app to choose from providers and the government will publish a set of minimum standards for elective care to improve patients’ experience and identify poor performance.
The government says 65% of patients will receive planned treatment in the target timeframe by the end of next year.
AI and wearable tech Technology like wearable tech will be used more widely to collect health data to reduce appointments that are routine rather than because of a clinical need.AI that predicts which appointments are most likely to be missed will also be used to stop slots being wasted.
Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning.
The health sector warned that GPs and hospitals need funding to recruit and retrain doctors and deal with staffing shortages.
The prime minister said: “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.”
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the target to cut maximum wait times from 18 months to 18 weeks would be achieved by “bringing care closer to home and give patients more choice over their treatment”.
“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,” he said.
Leaders for the NHS hospital, mental health, community and ambulance services want to work with the government to tackle all long waits, which stem from underinvestment and severe staff shortages, said Saffron Cordery, NHS Providers’ interim chief executive.
Trusts face “huge operational and financial challenges” every day, especially in busy A&Es and emergency care, and staff continue to “work flat out” for patients, she said.
The Conservatives said Labour is “building on our foundations” with its plans for diagnostic centres and that the announcement showed the party has “no new ideas of their own for the NHS - despite promising change”.
Shadow health secretary Ed Argar said: “Patients cannot wait for more dither and delay from the government who promised so much, and so far have delivered so little.”
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know