Elective care reform: what the new plans will mean for doctors and waiting lists

iStock.com/Svitlana Hulko

By Daniel Pye

In early January, the government announced plans to meet the 18-week waiting time target in England by March 2029 by reforming elective care. Here is a breakdown of what those plans mean for doctors, patients and the NHS.

On 6 January, the government announced its plan for elective care reform in the NHS to reduce waiting lists.¹ It frames the beginning of health secretary Wes Streeting’s agenda for the NHS in England - to be followed up by his revised workforce review and the 10-year NHS plan in the coming months.

Streeting wants 92% of patients to be seen within 18 weeks by March 2029 and he aims to do this by reforming elective care – a key element in the Lord Darzi report on the state of the NHS last year. Here is how his plan could shape the working lives of doctors in the coming years.

Cutting waiting lists by using the private sector