Government announces £1.5bn to cut NHS elective waiting lists

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced £1.5bn in capital funding for new surgical hubs and scanners to support the delivery of an extra two million NHS appointments a year in England.

Ahead of her budget on 30 October 2024, Reeves confirmed that the NHS will receive funding in 2025-2026 to deliver an extra 40,000 elective appointments per week, with the aim of cutting waiting lists, which stood at over 7.6 million in August 2024.

A Department of Health and Social Care announcement, published on 29 October 2024, added that there will be an additional £70 million for new radiotherapy machines.

It said: “Billions of pounds are set to be invested in technology and digital innovations across the NHS to boost productivity and unlock significant savings for the NHS in the long-term.”

The announcement added that the government had invested “an additional £1.8bn” in elective activity since the July financial statement.

Reeves said: “Our NHS is the lifeblood of Britain. It exemplifies public services at their best, there for us when we need it and free at the point of use, for everyone in this country.

“That’s why I am putting an end to the neglect and underinvestment it has seen for over a decade now.

“We will be known as the government that took the NHS from its worst crisis in its history, got it back on its feet again and made it fit for the bright future ahead of it.”

Lord Darzi’s independent investigation into the NHS in England, published on 12 September 2024, highlighted that the NHS is in “critical condition” and said that in August 2024 more than 280,000 people had been waiting for an operation, scan or appointment for over a year.

The government says that the announcement is “an integral step in reducing the waiting list and puts the NHS on course to meet the commitment that 92% of people wait less than 18 weeks to start treatment in the NHS”.

Wes Streeting, health secretary, said: “Our NHS is broken, but it’s not beaten, and this budget is the moment we start to fix it.

“The chancellor is backing the NHS with new investment to cut waiting lists, which stand at an unacceptable 7.6 million today.

“Alongside extra funding, we’re sending crack teams of top surgeons to hospitals across the country, to reform how they run their surgeries, treat more patients, and make the money go further.”

Jennifer Dixon, chief executive of the Health Foundation, said that an extra two million appointments per year would represent “major progress in tackling the elective backlog”, but is “unlikely to be enough to enable the NHS to meet the 18-week standard”.

‘While this is a boost to NHS capital investment, it needs to be seen within the context of the £13.8bn maintenance backlog and many years of under-investment in NHS capital,” she said.

Rich Pugmire, chief executive at Answer Digital, added: “Labour’s manifesto committed to delivering an additional two million appointments a year to drive down waiting lists, so the pre-budget elective and capital investment announcement is welcomed but not surprising. Although it won’t be available until next year, which signifies a tough winter ahead.”