IHPN responds to record NHS community waiting lists

Responding to the latest NHS performance figures showing record waiting lists for NHS community services, David Hare, Chief Executive of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN), said:

“Today’s figures demonstrate the growing pressures facing NHS community services, with waiting lists now reaching a record 1.2 million people – an increase of almost 30% in the last three years.

“While there has rightly been a laser-like focus across the health system on reducing elective waiting lists, these figures show that long waits for community health services continue to rise and risk becoming the next major challenge for patients and the NHS.

“Almost half of adults waiting for community services are seeking musculoskeletal (MSK) care – a high-volume area where there is significant untapped capacity across the independent sector that could be better utilised to support NHS patients.

“As the Government seeks to deliver more care closer to home through its neighbourhood health ambitions, there is a real opportunity to make greater use of independent providers to expand capacity, reduce waits and improve access to vital community services. Doing so would help more people receive timely treatment, remain in work and support the Government’s wider ambition to tackle economic inactivity caused by ill health.”

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