NHS ordered to make improvements to patient care while cutting costs
NHS ordered to make improvements to patient care while cutting costs
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The NHS has been ordered to drive improvements in hospital waiting times and cancer care while at the same time cutting costs. New planning guidance for the health service in England, which sets out national priorities for the year ahead, calls on NHS providers to reduce costs by 1%.
The NHS has also been challenged to raise productivity by 4%. The guidance stresses the need for the NHS to meet certain challenges in the year ahead, with a particular emphasis on getting the waiting list back on track. Specific aims set out in the 2025/26 planning guidance include:.
– To make sure that 65% of patients on the waiting list for routine hospital care to be seen within 18 weeks, which will help towards the Prime Minister’s aim for 92% of patients to be seen within this time frame by July 2029. – To cut the number of people waiting more than a year for routine hospital treatment to “less than 1% of the total waiting list by March 2026”. The latest figures indicate that 221,889 people had been waiting more than 52 weeks to start routine hospital treatment at the end of November.
– For a rise in the proportion of people who have suspected cancer to be diagnosed or given the all-clear within 28 days – the target stands at 75% now but hospitals have been told to drive this up to 80% over the coming year – officials estimate that this will mean 100,000 more people will be seen in this time frame when the target is met.
– The Mental Health Investment Standard – which ensures that funding for mental health keeps pace with overall NHS spending – will be retained. The NHS has also been given specific targets on reducing the length of stay in mental health settings and giving more access to children and young people who are trying to access services.
