The Government is delaying publishing the recommendations of a
group of experts, set up to tackle backlogs in the NHS.
The Elective Recovery Taskforce was set up in December to
“maximise” use of the private sector in the NHS. Its work
concluded in March, but the Government has delayed publishing its
recommendations or acting upon them.
The delay comes as new figures reveal that almost 300,000 more
patients on waiting lists could have received treatment by now,
if all spare capacity in the private sector was being used.
According to the independent healthcare sector, it has the
capacity to do an extra 30% of the procedures it was conducting
for NHS patients before the pandemic. That means that since
January 2022, when Labour first called for greater use of the
private sector, an additional 284,000 patients could have
received treatment. The procedures are carried out by private
healthcare companies, paid for by the NHS.
and attended only the first of
the four meetings held by the taskforce, when it was launched in
December. Sunak held several interviews to promote his promise to
use the private sector to tackle the NHS backlog.
Announcing the taskforce, the government claimed its work “will
help deliver on the remaining targets, including eliminating
18-month waits by April 2023.” It was revealed last week that the
government had missed its target, with 11,000 patients still
waiting for more than 18 months for treatment.
The taskforce was due to conclude its work in March, but the
recommendations are now not expected to be published until the
summer.
, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary,
said:
“It’s completely unjust that only those who can afford to pay to
go private are being treated on time, while everyone else is left
behind. Labour would use the spare capacity in the private sector
to get patients seen faster, free at the point of use. The last
Labour government showed this is an effective tool in bringing
down NHS waiting lists.
“If the Conservatives had got their skates on, almost 300,000
patients could have been treated, off the waiting list, and back
to living their lives to the full. Rishi Sunak’s dither and delay
in costing patients dear.”
Ends
Notes
- NHS figures show that the independent sector has
performed 1.829 million procedures for
the NHS, from January 2022 to March 2023. The sector claims it
has capacity to do 130% of pre-pandemic
activity. Using the 15 months prior to the pandemic,
this can be calculated as capacity to do 2.113
million procedures per 15 months, meaning there is
capacity for the sector to have performed an
additional 284,000 procedures since
January 2022.
Statistics » Consultant-led
Referral to Treatment Waiting Times (england.nhs.uk)
- Independent Healthcare Providers network claim they could be
doing 130% of pre-pandemic levels of activity: NHS fails to make use of
private hospitals to clear Covid backlog (telegraph.co.uk)
- The Elective Recovery Taskforce was due to have concluded its
work March 2023: Elective Recovery Taskforce -
GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- The Prime Minister and Health Secretary only attended the
launch meeting of the taskforce in December, after which the
Prime Minister held several interviews to announce the group,
after which neither appear to have met with it again.
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-03-07/160337
- Announcing the taskforce in December, officials from the
Department of Health and Social Care claimed, “the taskforce will
help deliver on the remaining targets, including eliminating
18-month waits by April 2023.” It was revealed last week that the
government had missed its target to end 18 month waits.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-turbocharges-efforts-to-tackle-covid-backlogs
