LCP comments on government plan to tackle NHS waiting list backlog

Health Secretary Sajid Javid today unveiled the NHS Elective Recovery Plan to tackle the waiting list backlog post pandemic.

Responding to the plan, Dr Jonathan Pearson-Stuttard, Head of Healthcare Analytics at LCP, said: “The Health Secretary has outlined ambitious plans to tackle the Covid backlog of patients waiting for treatment. However, the legitimacy of this plan depends on the size of the scale of the problem. We know that current waiting lists are at an all time high totalling around six million people – a significant proportion of which are waiting more than 12 months and in some cases over two years to be treated.

“What we don’t know yet is the number of people who have not come forward for treatment due to the pandemic. This hidden waiting list could be double the current known estimates according to our own research and would place an immense pressure on an already over-stretched NHS. Sajid Javid also outlined four key areas of focus in his plan including increased capacity, recruitment and deployment of NHS reserves and making greater use of the independent sector as well as reducing clinical need and the longest waiting lists.

"What is absolutely crucial to acknowledge though is that waiting lists are not distributed fairly or equally across England. Our analysis has shown that some of the most deprived areas of the country are now having to cope with the longest waiting times. These areas must be prioritised in any planned response otherwise we face a population health crisis in some parts of the country and sadly an increase in preventable deaths.”