Nuffield Trust responds to new NHS England elective reform plan

Responding to plans to reform elective care for patients in England, Nuffield Trust Chief Executive Thea Stein said:

“Today’s plan to tackle the NHS waiting list shows the government is serious about changing how planned health care is delivered in the long-term, with its emphasis on crucial developments such as moving planned treatment into hub settings and expanding patient access through more diagnostic tests, streamlined processes and digital innovation. 

“Many of the specific measures announced are good on paper and have some evidence behind them. But innovation and creating new services will take time, resource and money. The plan today has been announced with little firm detail on how it will be paid for, other than revealing that the £3bn ring-fenced for cutting waiting times this current financial year will not be available from April.  

“Expanded diagnostic and surgical hubs and other new services will need to carefully balance NHS and independent sector resources, and trusts and networks will have to ensure hubs don’t unintentionally pull staff and resources away from urgent care and more complicated patient needs. 

“A more powerful patient is what everyone wants. Clear information, ongoing communication and reassurances for patients are really important. Coherent standards and a focus on monitoring should be welcomed, and a more developed NHS App will provide some efficiencies. But all of these improvements will ultimately take time, and more money. 

“Hospital trusts face a considerable challenge ahead as they try to enhance and implement these new measures at scale, with improved access for patients, but with even tighter funding than in recent years.  

“For the plan to be sustainable, and not simply a process that needs to be endlessly repeated, we need to see alongside this announcement the speedy implementation of social care reform, significant investment in community services and a real focus on the things that impact on ill health, such as housing and education.”