IHPN responds to rise in NHS waiting lists

Responding to the latest NHS performance figures showing a rise in NHS waiting lists, David Hare, CEO of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN) said:

“Today’s figures show NHS waiting lists have hit levels not seen since last Winter – demonstrating the enormous challenge the government faces in meeting its commitment to reduce NHS waiting times by 2029.

“Getting patients treated more quickly is consistently one of the public’s top priorities, with new polling showing almost 8 in 10 people (78%) say that meeting the NHS’ 18-week target by the end of this Parliament should be the Government’s top priority for the NHS, with 40% saying they would be more likely to vote for a different party if this target is not met.

“It’s therefore vital that the NHS urgently picks up the pace on elective recovery and makes use of all available capacity across both the NHS and independent sector to ensure as many patients as possible can be treated.

“Last year independent providers removed over 1.6 million people from the NHS waiting list – and now deliver 1 in 4 of all NHS-funded diagnostic tests – and are committed to supporting the NHS even further to clear the backlog and ensure patients can get back to leading the healthy, productive lives they deserve.”