Will using the private sector to cut NHS waiting lists actually work?

The impetus to reduce waiting times is in part political, but whether it will improve anything for patients or the Tory party is open to question, writes Sean O’Grady

The government has announced plans to expand private sector involvement in the health service (PA Archive)

Concerned that NHS waiting lists are likely to rise before decreasing, the government has announced that further use will be made of private sector reserves in an effort to cut waiting times. Downing Street has said that 13 new community diagnostic centres will be opened across England to carry out an additional 742,000 scans, checks and tests per year, in a bid to reduce the intense pressure on NHS hospitals.

Despite some improvement in reducing times for those waiting the longest, and the claimed virtual elimination of those who have been waiting for treatment for two years or more, the situation remains serious. One health minister, Maria Caulfield, has admitted that the number of patients in line for treatment, which currently stands at 7.47 million, is expected to climb further in the coming months before reaching a peak.

Politically it is also a grave matter, because in January Rishi Sunak made it one of his five “people’s priorities” and promised: “NHS waiting lists will fall and people will get the care they need more quickly.” Vague as it is, the target is in permanent jeopardy due to of a number of other factors: the lack of staffing; the continuing strike action by junior doctors, consultants and radiographers; and the possibility of a winter crisis.