Well being Secretary Wes Streeting mentioned the coverage is tackling a “two-tier” system by chopping ready instances to make sure NHS sufferers in England have entry to immediate remedy.
The variety of NHS appointments, assessments and operations delivered by non-public hospitals and clinics has elevated by virtually 500,000 this 12 months to six.15 million.
Well being Secretary Wes Streeting mentioned the coverage is tackling a “two-tier” system by chopping ready instances to make sure NHS sufferers in England have entry to immediate remedy.
Non-public suppliers mentioned they’re delivering round 10% of elective NHS exercise.
Between August 2024 and September 2025 they performed a mean of 19,000 surgical procedures and 100,000 outpatient appointments each week, treating greater than 1.1 million folks
Mr Streeting mentioned: “I will do every little thing I can to get NHS sufferers handled sooner, free on the level of use.
“It is a principled, progressive place, not only a pragmatic one.
“We’re not ready to proceed two-tier healthcare, when those that can afford it get handled on time, and those that cannot are left behind. Wealth should not decide well being.”
Utilizing spare capability within the non-public sector is essential to the Authorities’s goal of making certain that 92% of sufferers in England ought to wait not than 18 weeks from referral to remedy.
Different measures to chop ready lists embrace using group diagnostic centres (CDCs) and finishing up extra surgical procedures on evenings and weekends.
Mr Streeting mentioned: “This is only one reform which has helped ship 5 million extra appointments, grown NHS productiveness and minimize ready lists by 200,000.
“We’re additionally investing in rising the NHS capability, opening up CDCs and working theatres at evenings and weekends, and bringing in fashionable expertise like robotic surgical procedure.
“By way of funding and relentless reform, we are going to ensure each affected person is handled on time, not simply those that can afford to pay.”
David Hare, chief govt of the Unbiased Healthcare Suppliers Community, which represents non-public hospitals and clinics, mentioned: “These newest figures reveal simply how necessary the unbiased sector is in offering much-needed NHS remedy – delivering round 10% of all NHS elective exercise, and a report quantity of appointments, assessments and scans – all free on the level of use to sufferers.”
Shadow well being secretary Stuart Andrew mentioned: “Whereas we welcome Labour conceding that co-operation with the unbiased sector helps sufferers get seen sooner, the reality is they’re nonetheless miles off assembly their very own NHS waiting-time targets.
“Regardless of all the guarantees, sufferers are nonetheless ready far too lengthy for remedy, particularly after handing no-strings, inflation-busting pay rises to their union paymasters and seeing crippling strikes that adopted this capitulation.”
