The UK government has announced a new plan to cut the number of NHS patients waiting 18 weeks or more for treatment by more than 450,000 by March 2026. The initiative will expand access to Community Diagnostic Centres and surgical hubs to increase patient choice and tackle inefficiencies in the system. Community centres will open seven days a week for 12 hours a day and offer up to half a million extra appointments each year. GPs will be able to refer patients to these centres without prior consultation with a senior doctor. More surgical hubs will be created to focus on less complex procedures, such as cataracts, with ring-fenced areas to shield them from emergency cases and to avoid operating theatre time being lost.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer emphasised the creation of “millions more appointments” and his determination to deliver on promises relating to ending the backlog. Although the British Medical Association welcomed the plan, there were doubts about its ability to deliver in the face of struggling resources and sufficient staffing. The government pledged to meet an NHS target which has not been achieved since 2015, where 92% of patients are given treatment or the all-clear within 18 weeks, with only 59% currently receiving treatment on time.
The latest initiative forms part of the government’s broader efforts to reduce the number of patients enduring lengthy treatment waits. NHS England Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard said the reforms would boost convenience and empower patients, particularly through the new NHS app. In addition to more appointments, the government will abolish around one million unnecessary appointments automatically generated after treatment. It expects to create over two million annual appointments with the pledge of 40,000 extra appointments per week, according to Labour’s pre-election assurance.
Professor Phil Banfield, Chair of the British Medical Association Council, voiced scepticism where the lack of available resources would then hinder the promised improvements to NHS patients waiting for treatment. He noted that both patients and doctors had been frustrated by the lack of facilities, but to achieve their shared goal, an increased workforce was imperative. Meanwhile, Ed Argar, Shadow Health and Social Care Secretary, remarked that the Conservative government had “revolutionised” the diagnostic process by establishing 160 Community Diagnostic Centres and stated that the Labour party was failing to present credible new solutions for the NHS
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