NHS: more patients can skip long waiting lists - if they are willing to travel

Thousands of patients stuck up in the record backlog of NHS waiting lists could skip the queue if they are willing to travel and able to travel.

New plans reveal patients could be offered treatment sooner at another facility in other parts of England for both private or NHS care.

As part of government efforts to bring down record waiting lists for healthcare, the NHS is expanding its new online “matching platform” where patients are “matched” with providers of the service they need outside their local area.

NHS waiting lists stood at 7.47 million at the end of May, the highest number since records began in 2007.

The new platform should then make the most of available capacity elsewhere – be it in other NHS hospitals or in the private sector – and speed up waits.

It was initially launched in January for patients needing hospital admission, but the platform will now expand to include cancer, diagnostic checks and outpatient appointments.

If the patient is willing and able to travel, clinicians will be able to upload their details to the system, so other NHS facilities or private providers will be able to "match" people to available slots.

If more than one provider offers treatment, the patient can choose between them.

When a patient is first registered with the platform they can say how far they would be willing to travel – for instance up to 100 miles.

The health service estimates that thousands of people could benefit from the extension of the programme, saying that 1,700 have used the platform so far - although it is unclear how many patients have benefitted.

An NHS spokesperson said, that for those who are unable to travel, there is local funding and support in place to enable people who may struggle to travel – which could include elderly or disabled people – to benefit from the scheme which could include provision of taxis or hotels.

NHS England said the platform allows NHS staff to view and add available surgery slots in hospitals across the country, including private sector capacity and that people in need of gynaecology, colorectal and trauma and orthopaedics have benefited most from the use of the platform so far.

NHS chief executive, Amanda Pritchard, said: “Despite significant pressure on services, NHS staff have already made incredible progress against our elective recovery plan, and this smart new tool will help us to continue to reduce long waits for patients.

“It shows, once again, the benefits of having a national health service – NHS staff can now work even more closely with other hospitals across the country to identify capacity and conveniently match patients to available treatment and appointment slots.”

Patients Association chief executive Rachel Power said: “We welcome the expansion of the hospital matching platform and think it will make it even easier for patients and the healthcare professional to make a decision together about where to have treatment or a test.

“Patient choice has been a right for over decade but not all patients are aware they have the right, and it isn’t always offered to them. Hopefully, making it easy for health professionals to see the choices of where patients can be treated will increase the number of patients who can take advantage of mutual aid within the NHS.”

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: “Anything that helps older people get speedier access to the diagnostics and treatment they often desperately need has to be a good thing, so this initiative is very welcome.

“We know that literally millions of older people are stuck on waiting lists at the moment, with no idea when they’ll get seen by a clinician.

“This new platform won’t be the solution for everyone, but it will enable some fortunate older people to take advantage of spare capacity in a health setting that’s not their usual one – great news for them and a good use of the NHS’s resources too.”

The NHS in England has increased its use of private hospitals by a third since 2021 – from 65,000 appointments and procedures a week to more than 90,000 a week now.