0:00
could the private healthcare sector help
0:01
k starma cut NHS waiting lists that's
0:04
what the government are hoping for after
0:06
a new agreement to more closely link the
0:08
NHS and the private sector was unveiled
0:10
today in an attempt to cut waiting times
0:12
for patients ministers say the New Deal
0:15
will improve patient choice is part of
0:16
plans to end the health backlog but what
0:18
does it all mean well the NHS and
0:21
independent sector partnership agreement
0:23
will see patients offered a wider choice
0:25
of providers for tests or scans
0:27
including private care paid for by the
0:29
state this will focus on certain
0:31
specialist treatment areas including
0:33
Orthopedics and Gynecology which face
0:35
long waiting lists and in more deprived
0:37
areas of the country some 260,000 women
0:40
are waiting more than 18 weeks for
0:42
Gynecology treatment while more than 40%
0:45
of Orthopedics patients wait longer than
0:46
the 18we target this could see an
0:49
additional 1 million appointments a year
0:50
expected to be delivered for NHS
0:52
patients how will this be done private
0:54
providers will have to review their
0:56
clinical exclusion criteria to ensure as
0:58
broad a cohort of patients as possible
1:00
can be treated privately to avoid only
1:03
easy procedures being done by the sector
1:05
and by March 2027 the NHS app will also
1:08
be significantly expanded along with the
1:11
manage your referral website it will
1:12
become the default route by which
1:14
patients choose where they wish to be
1:16
treated could it work well it will prove
1:18
politically controversial as the Prime
1:20
Minister acknowledged today starma
1:22
pledged his government's approach must
1:23
be totally unburdened by dogma and
1:26
welcome moves to make the spaces
1:27
facilities and resources of private
1:29
hospitals more readily available to the
1:31
NHS he added I know some people won't
1:34
like this but I make no apologies I'm
1:36
not interested in putting ideology
1:38
before patients and I'm not interested
1:40
in moving at the pace of excuses Health
1:42
secretary West streeting added if the
1:44
wealthy can be treated on time then so
1:46
should NHS patients The Wider context of
1:48
all this is the government's overarching
1:50
aim to meet the NHS standard of 92% of
1:53
patients in England waiting no longer
1:55
than 18 weeks for elective treatment
1:57
this was unveiled before Christmas and
1:58
has not been met since 2015 it's an
2:01
ambitious Target for the government and
2:03
one which the public often cite as one
2:05
of their top priorities so any failure
2:07
to deliver could be politically risky
2:09
what do you make of plans to involve the
2:11
private sector more closely in the NHS
2:13
let us know in the comments and download
2:15
City am's free app for more on this
