Portsmouth patients will be able to access more appointments closer to home and get the treatment they need faster under a new plan to tackle hospital backlogs.
- Millions more appointments to be created through plan to get people the treatment they need quicker
- Up to half a million more appointments made available each year thanks to greater access to Community Diagnostic Centres and new or expanded surgical hubs
- Greater patient choice over follow-up care as part of a drive to open-up one million appointments, alongside better use of tech and other action to save another million missed appointments
- Reforms mark next step in delivering government’s Plan for Change to deliver for working people
Commenting on the plans to end tackle NHS waiting lists, Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan said:
“Portsmouth people have been badly impacted by the record long NHS waiting lists that came after 14 years of Conservative government.
“The changes announced by the Labour government this week will make the NHS work around Portsmouth patients’ lives, not the other way around.
“Our ambitious target to cut maximum wait times from 18 months to 18 weeks by delivering 2 millions of appointments will finally help Portsmouth patients get the treatment they need faster.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:
“This Government promised change and that is what I am fighting every day to deliver.
“NHS backlogs have ballooned in recent years, leaving millions of patients languishing on waiting lists, often in pain or fear. Lives on hold. Potential unfulfilled.
“This elective reform plan will deliver on our promise to end the backlogs. Millions more appointments. Greater choice and convenience for patients. Staff once again able to give the standard of care they desperately want to.
“This is a key plank of our Plan for Change, which will drive growth that puts more money in people’s pockets, secures our borders and makes the NHS fit for the future so what working people live longer, healthier, more prosperous lives.”
Tackling the 7.5million strong waiting list inherited by the government so that the NHS once again meets the 18 week standard for planned treatment is a key milestone in the government’s Plan for Change.
Restoring this standard will mean millions of patients no longer have to have their lives put on hold. Currently, too many patients face long waits for appointments or surgeries and may be referred to hospitals they don’t choose at inconvenient times, while appointments and staff time are being lost to inefficiencies or inconsistencies in care.
The Elective Reform Plan, published by NHS England, sets out a whole system approach to hitting the 18-week referral to treatment target by the end of this Parliament. This includes expanded use of Community Diagnostic Centres so that many more people will be able to access tests and checks while going about their daily lives, and the NHS will also increase the number of surgical hubs, which help protect planned care from the impact of seasonal and other pressures.
The plan will drive forward progress on the government’s first steps commitment to deliver 2 million extra appointments in its first year, equivalent to 40,000 every week. The reforms will put patients first, harness technology to support staff and help the NHS to do things more efficiently.
