An estimated half a million appointments and operations avoided
being cancelled in the second half of last year thanks to swift
action from the Government to end resident doctor strikes within
four weeks of office.
Data shows a total of 507,000 appointments and operations were
cancelled and rescheduled between July 2023 and February 2024
during periods of disruptive strike action, causing pain and
misery to patients across the country, and hitting an already
broken NHS with more damage. This put huge pressure on
hardworking staff, with NHS England analysis showing that this
added 140,000 more to the waiting lists this government
inherited.
On his very first day in government, the Health and Social Care
Secretary got round the table with resident doctors, securing a
fair deal for patients and staff after four weeks, getting
doctors back on the frontline treating patients.
The progress the Government has made in starting to fix the NHS
after 14 years of decline shows the transformatory effect of the
Plan for Change.
Since July, over two million extra appointments have been
delivered – seven months early – and the waiting list slashed by
193,000, with patients up and down the country beginning to feel
a real difference after a decade of neglect – and in some cases
after waiting years to get the care they need.
Cutting waiting lists is one of the government's top priorities
through its Plan for Change which is driving forward reform of
the health service to put patients first, rebuild our NHS and
improve living standards, which are growing at their fastest rate
in two years.
Making up around 50% of the medical workforce, resident doctors
play a pivotal role for patients. When staff stood on the picket
lines, waiting lists soared, leaving people in pain and out of
work as a result of not being able to get the care they need. By
bringing to an end months of devastating strikes, patients have
significantly felt the benefits, getting the care they need
without disruption.
Since July, the government has made it a priority to get 92% of
patients seen within 18 weeks by the end of this Parliament.
Through the recently published Elective Reform Plan, patients
will begin to have more control over their care, to end the
needless suffering of those stuck on a waiting list.
The plan also makes it easier for patients to access the
appointments they need, through the opening of more Community
Diagnostic Centres and surgical hubs, in more convenient
locations closer to their homes, keeping them out of hospital.
And through bringing the NHS app into the digital era,
individuals will be able to take control of their personal health
plans, by accessing key documentation and appointment data
online, in a timeline that works around their lives.
With over two million extra NHS appointments including for
chemotherapy, radiotherapy, endoscopy, and diagnostic tests
already being delivered seven months early, and through its Plan
for Change, the government is on its way to ending the misery
felt by millions of patients up and down the country who are
waiting for the appointments they need.
, Health and Social Care Secretary, said:
Half a million operations stopped because of strike action
weren't just an inconvenience. They meant hundreds of thousands
of patients living through more pain, more stress and more
disappointment.
That's exactly why within days of coming into office, I got round
the table with resident doctors and put an end to these crippling
strikes.
It was a tough negotiation, but we came out with a fair offer,
and patients immediately started seeing the benefit.
Thanks to this government putting doctors back on the frontline,
we've cut waiting lists by 193,000. We are fixing the broken
foundations of our NHS through our Plan for Change so patients
can get back to work and doing what they love.
Ends
Notes
