Tackling the NHS backlog is one of the government’s key six missions – and now Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer says he has the plan to end it.But what’s remarkable from this new year waiting list announcement is just how few levers ministers seem to have to pull.Much of this plan is about building on work that is already under way in England – and there are reasons why these policies have only had limited impact so far.More surgical and diagnostic hubs are being promised in the community – this builds on a network that started being rolled out before the pandemic. They allow more care to be provided outside of hospitals and the government wants to see not just more of them but longer opening hours too. But, of course, the key limiting factor is having the staff available to deliver the treatment – something the British Medical Association is pointing out.Sir Keir also wants to make it easier for patients to exercise choice over where they go for treatment – the idea is that this allows them to shop around and go where waiting lists are shortest.This policy dates back even further as it was introduced by the Blair government and subsequently championed by the Tories when they were in power. Despite that only around a quarter of patients report being offered a choice. And even if this was to change, questions remain about how many patients will be prepared to travel to get treatment elsewhere.Another initiative, which has been pursued for more than two decades, is getting the independent sector to ease the burden on the NHS. The private sector says it has capacity to see 30% more NHS patients than it currently does. But this polic …
