Figures released by NHS England reveal that over two million extra NHS appointments were delivered between July and November 2024 compared to the previous year. The government has announced an extra £40m capital pot from next year will be available for Trusts who make the biggest improvements in cutting waiting lists, for projects with the potential to deliver faster access to treatment and improve conditions for patients.
Further details on the scope and allocation of the funding package will be set out in due course, but examples of the innovations that Trusts will be able to benefit from include investment into new tech such as surgical robots and AI scanners to modernise the NHS and help patients get diagnosed and treated as quickly as possible.
The funding could also go towards completing hospital ward maintenance – expediting the transformation of ageing NHS estates and giving patients newer, safer environments in which to receive care.
Falling waiting lists
Figures published last week show the waiting list has been cut by almost 160,000 since the government took office in July. The new data confirms the government reached its target to deliver over two million more elective care appointments seven months earlier than promised.
The extra appointments, including for chemotherapy, radiotherapy, endoscopy and diagnostic tests, have been delivered in part by extra evening and weekend working.
Amanda Pritchard NHS Chief Executive says: “Thanks to the hard work of staff and embracing the latest innovations in care, we treated hundreds of thousands more patients last year and delivered a record number of tests and checks, with the waiting list falling for the fourth month in a row.
“There is much more to do to slash waiting times for patients, but the Elective Care Reform Plan will allow us to build on this incredible progress as we boost capacity and drive efficiency while also improving the experience of patients.”
The Elective Reform Plan
Driving forward action to meet the 18-week target through reforms to overhaul the system, support staff, cut waste and put patients first aims to create millions more appointments. This plan involves creating thousands more appointments through greater access to Community Diagnostic Centres and 17 new or expanded surgical hubs.
The government plans that Community Diagnostic Centres will be opened 12 hours a day, seven days a week wherever possible so that people can access a broader range of more appointments closer to home in their neighbourhoods. These will increase the availability of same-day tests and consultations so that patients don’t have to wait for weeks in between different stages of care.
The surgical hubs will be created within existing hospitals by June, and three others expanded, with more expected in coming years. These will bring together the necessary expertise, best practice, and tech under one roof to focus on delivering the most common, less complex procedures. The new hubs will be ring-fenced from winter pressures and will cut waiting times for standard surgeries, in turn freeing up beds in acute wards needed for more complex cases.
Other elements of the plan include freeing up around one million more appointments every year by removing non-essential follow-ups, publishing a new deal with the independent sector to increase capacity, revolutionising the NHS app to give patients greater choice and control over their treatment and preventing unnecessary referrals by incentivising GPs to work with hospital doctors to get specialist advice.
