Starmer unveils plans to reform NHS as he pledges to slash waiting times
6 January 2025, 11:48
Sir Keir Starmer has outlined details of his plan to cut NHS waiting times in England from 18 months to 18 weeks over the next five years.
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In his first major speech of 2025, the prime minister laid out how greater use of the private sector will help deliver up to half a million more appointments.
Meanwhile, up to a million appointments could be freed up by giving patients the choice to go without follow-up appointments currently booked by default, according to the government.
The aim of the reforms is that by the end of March 2026, an extra 450,000 patients will be treated within the target time of 18 weeks.
The waiting list currently stands at 7.5 million with four in 10 already having waited longer than 18 weeks.
Doctors leaders welcomed the plan, but expressed concern whether there was enough staff to achieve the goals being set.
Speaking at a hospital in Surrey, Sir Keir said: "The feeling of record dissatisfaction that we now see. Millions of people waiting, waiting, waiting on waiting lists, their lives on hold. The potential of the country blocked.
"So 2025 is about rebuilding Britain and rebuilding our NHS is the cornerstone of that."
He added: "To catapult the service into the future, we need an NHS that is reformed from top to bottom, millions of extra appointments signed, sealed and delivered with the plan that we are launching here today.
"National renewal in action."
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Sir Keir said the NHS must be “hungry for innovation” but reiterated his belief that the health service cannot become a “national money pit”.
He said: “Productivity can’t (be) 11% lower than it was before the pandemic.
“Working people can’t be expected to subsidise the current levels of care with ever-rising taxes. That is the price of ducking reform, and I won’t stand for it.
“I believe in public service. I believe in the NHS. I’ll fight for it day and night. I’ll never stand for that.”
A network of Community Diagnostic Centres will extend their opening hours to 12 hours a day, seven days a week and will provide appointments such as scans and endoscopies in local neighbourhoods.
The aim is to get patients treated more quickly, closer to home and without relying on hospitals.
GPs will also be able, where appropriate, to refer patients directly to these centres without requiring a prior consultation with a specialist doctor.
More surgical hubs also will be created to focus on common, less complex procedures, such as cataract surgeries and some orthopaedic work.
On expanding use of the private sector, Sir Keir acknowledged "some would not like this".
But he added: "I'm not interested in putting ideology before patients."
Figures published by NHS England last month showed an estimated 7.54 million treatments were waiting to be carried out at the end of October - the lowest figure since March 2024.
According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the last time the NHS met the target of 92% of patients receiving treatment within 18 weeks was in 2015.
The reforms for England will also see an overhaul of the NHS app to give patients greater choice over where they choose to have their appointment and will also provide greater detail to the patient including their results and waiting times.
The first step in the digital overhaul will be completed by March 2025, when patients at over 85% of acute trusts will be able to view their appointment details via the NHS app, the government said.
They'll also be able to contact their provider and receive updates, including how long they are likely to wait for treatment.
Sir Keir said the NHS must deliver convenience for patients, just as people can book holidays and find love online.
“Just think about it – every day, just a few swipes of their phone, millions of people buy food or clothes for themselves and their family, they book holidays, they even find love.
“There is no reason, no good reason, why a public, free-at-the-point-of-use NHS can’t deliver that kind of convenience. In fact, it must.”
