Keir Starmer to unveil radical NHS changes to cut waiting times
Share:
Exclusive: Patients will get direct referrals for tests without seeing a consultant, but critics say the plan is ‘deluded’. Keir Starmer will attempt to reset his premiership next week by setting out a series of radical NHS changes aimed at reducing waiting times for millions of patients.
The shake-up comes after a torrid first six months in government and amid mounting frustration among patients. More than 6 million are waiting for care. Under the new plans, patients will be able to get direct referrals for tests and scans for a range of ear, nose and throat, gynaecological, urological, bowel and lung conditions – without seeing a consultant first.
Thousands of patients in England will also be offered a “same-day service”, with follow-up consultations on the same day as their scans or tests, enabling more people to start treatment or get the all-clear quicker, the prime minister will announce.
In addition, a major expansion of ring-fenced elective capacity in the NHS will mean routine care such as hip and knee replacement surgery will be protected from winter pressures and future pandemics. Ministers hope the NHS reforms and a series of other new year announcements will correct months of drift and set a clear course of direction for the Labour government.
However, senior doctors said they were not convinced Starmer’s plans would work because the NHS workforce crisis meant there was “insufficient” staff to bring waiting lists down any time soon. Some also warned that without an equally focused effort to rescue NHS urgent and emergency care, which is causing some hospitals to be overwhelmed, the prime minister’s plans to improve routine care were “deluded” and doomed to “fail”.
