NHS to offer millions of Brits faster access to treatment in bid to 'significantly reduce waiting times'

4 January 2025, 11:33

Millions of Brits are set to be offered faster diagnosis and treatment on the NHS under a new plan to slash waiting times and improve health outcomes.

Patients will be able to be directly referred and booked in for tests, checks and scans by their GP for a multiple of conditions under plans set to be launched by the NHS and government next week.

People with conditions including breathlessness, asthma in children and young people, and post-menopausal bleeding will no longer need to see a consultant before receiving tests. 

The Elective Reform Plan could see millions of people receive a diagnosis weeks earlier.

 It comes as NHS chiefs pledge to improve patient experience and end the significant delays between GP referrals and hospital appointments.

Health bosses say routine care could be delivered to nine in ten patients within 18 weeks under the plans.

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Meanwhile, thousands of extra Brits could get diagnosed and receive treatment within a single day.

NHS's Chief Executive, Amanda Pritchard, said: “While there are too many people waiting unacceptably long for care, NHS staff have made huge progress in bringing down long waits since the pandemic.

"And backed by government investment, alongside our commitment to continue to reform and innovate, we know that staff can significantly reduce waiting times across the country again.”

Ms Pritchard added that there are currently one in nine people in England on waiting lists, admitting there is “more we can do to support those who are waiting for crucial tests and procedures”. 

She continued: “By making it easier for people to get timely access to the tests they need alongside direct referrals and same day checks and consultations – this plan will help thousands more people to get a faster diagnosis and quicker treatment or the all clear, so people can get back to living their lives as soon as possible, with peace of mind that they won’t need further treatment.”

Health secretary Wes Streeting has said the plans will free up the NHS to treat more patients and “cut waiting lists from a maximum of 18 months to 18 weeks by the end of this Parliament.”

He added: “As patients, we’ve all experienced the hoops you have to jump through to get the test or scan you and your GP know you need. 

“It’s a waste of patients’ time, delays diagnoses when every minute matters, and means consultants are forced to tick boxes rather than treat patients.”

This comes as up to six million Brits are currently waiting to receive care. In some cases it can take up to 18 weeks for them to see a GP.

In October, Mr Streeting told LBC he had the funds to "start turning the NHS around" as he defended Labour's spending plans ahead of the Autumn Budget.

He told Nick Ferrari: “The chancellor has prioritised the NHS to root out waste and inefficiency. 

"All of our manifesto commitments, despite the challenges we’ve got, stand today," he said, adding: "I owe it to taxpayers that their money is well spent."

Chancellor Rachel Reeves later announced a £22.6billion boost in the NHS’s day-to-day health budget and a £3.1 billion increase in the capital budget over this year and next.

During his general election campaign, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer vowed to focus on reducing treatment backlogs and create an additional 40,000 appointments, scans and operations each week during evenings and weekends.