Starmer: More patients to be treated privately in bid to slash NHS waiting lists More patients will be sent for treatment in private hospitals under Government plans to slash the NHS waiting list, Sir Keir Starmer has said.
By March 2027, the NHS App will also be “significantly expanded to improve information for patients in elective care”, while the app and Manage Your Referral website will become the “default route” by which patients choose where they wish to be treated.
The Prime Minister used a speech to pledge “better use” of capacity in the private sector, with the NHS told it must actively tell patients when they can be treated at private hospitals.
In gynaecology, there is currently a backlog of 260,000 women waiting more than 18 weeks for treatment, while in orthopaedics more than 40% of patients are waiting longer than the 18-week NHS waiting times target.
