Elective plan to cut NHS waiting lists

The government has pledged to meet the 18-week NHS waiting time standard by March 2029. It says every Trust will need to deliver a minimum 5 percentage point improvement by March 2026, with sufficient increases annually to reach 92% in 2029 (Department of Health and Social Care, 2025). The Elective Reform Plan, published by NHS England, includes expanded use of community diagnostic centres in which more people will be able to access tests and checks, and an increase in the number of surgical hubs, ‘which help protect planned care from the impact of seasonal and other pressures’ (NHS England, 2024).

The government has said it will ‘drive forward progress on [the] first steps commitment to deliver 2 million extra appointments in its first year, equivalent to 40 000 every week’, and that the reforms will ‘put patients first, harness technology to support staff and help the NHS to do things more efficiently’. NHS England (2024) also said that patients waiting for surgery will be offered support to lose weight and stop smoking.