Plans to reduce waiting times so NHS ‘doesn’t go the way as Woolies’, health secretary says

The prime minister is set to unveil plans to reduce NHS waiting times to 18 weeks before the end of parliament as part of efforts to ensure it does not “go the way of Woolies”, the UK’s health secretary has promised.

Wes Streeting told the Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme that Sir Keir Starmer will set out a “wide range of reform” to modernise the struggling health service.

It comes amid the announcement that the NHS app is to receive a major upgrade which will let all patients receive test results, book follow-up appointments and even choose where to be treated.

The overhaul is part of the government’s plan to slash waiting lists and wait times, and will “give working-class patients the same choice, control, and convenience as the wealthy receive,” Mr Streeting said.

Mr Streeting told Sky News: “We want to reduce waiting times to 18 weeks by the end of the parliament. That’s the NHS constitutional challenge.

“That is a big, tough challenge that the country’s set for us – and the prime minister’s holding me to account, as well as the public – to deliver.

“So, it is ambitious, it’s not going to be easy, and that’s why in today’s newspapers and tomorrow, when the prime minister sets out the plan, you will see a wide range of reform we’re putting in place to modernise the NHS to give it the tools to do the job, to bring it into the 21st century, so the NHS doesn’t go the way of Woolies [Woolworths] and collapse, but is actually a service fit for the 21st century.

“And I do think it is that existential for the NHS, which is why both in opposition and now in government, we have placed such heavy emphasis on reform, not just investment.”

Wider choice of providers offered via app

Patients have a legal right to choose their provider for treatments, yet fewer than a quarter recall being offered a choice, the Department of Health said.

Under new measures, patients will be offered a wider choice of providers and the app will help smooth out the booking process, it added.

Patients who need non-emergency elective treatments will be able to use the app to view and manage their appointments, choose from providers – including those in the independent sector – and book diagnostic tests.

They’ll also be able to receive test results and choose the next step in their care, with options including remote consultations to surgery, where appropriate.

At present, just 8% of bookings after a referral are made via the NHS app or the Manage Your Referral website – but these online services will become the default route for patients to choose their care provider under the new proposals.

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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.

The proposals are part of the elective reform plan, which will set out how the government plans to slash waiting lists and cut waiting times to 18 weeks by the end of this parliament.

The full plan for change is set to be unveiled this week.

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Mr Streeting said: “If the wealthy can choose where and when they are treated, then working-class patients should be able to as well, and this government will give them that choice.

“Our plan will reform the NHS, so patients are fully informed every step of the way through their care, they are given proper choice to go to a different provider for a shorter wait and put in control of their own healthcare.”

The Conservatives said Labour have delivered only “partial announcements” for NHS reform.

“The Conservatives laid the foundations for increased patient choice, launching and revolutionising the NHS App to help transform services, treatments, and access for patients, so it is positive to see Labour building on our solid foundations,” shadow health and social care secretary Ed Argar said.

“We will work with the government to support reform across our public services when they bring forward a clear and comprehensive plan, but sadly so far all Labour have delivered are partial announcements, and yet further reviews and consultations despite having 14 years in opposition to work out what they actually wanted to do.

“Labour promised reform – now patients are clear, it’s time they actually delivered it.”

Wes Streeting will be appearing on the Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips show – watch on Sky News from 8.30am