The partnership will see increase in the number of appointments offered by the NHS itself. Credit: Wasan Tita / Shutterstock.

The NHS has entered a new partnership with the independent sector to address the backlog of patients awaiting operations and other planned procedures.

This collaboration is a critical component of the UK Government’s Plan for Change, which aims to meet the 18-week NHS waiting time standard. The agreement will also increase the number of appointments offered by the NHS itself.

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Under the partnership, the independent healthcare sector is expected to provide an additional one million appointments per year for NHS patients, at no cost at the point of use.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “When the waiting lists have ballooned to 7.5 million, we will not let ideology or old ways of doing things stand in the way of getting people’s lives back on track.”

The focus will be on reducing wait times in specialist areas such as gynaecology, which currently has a backlog of 260,000 women waiting over 18 weeks for treatment; and orthopaedics, where more than 40% of patients exceed this target.

The deal also aims to improve access to healthcare in more deprived areas.

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The government’s elective reform plans, unveiled alongside the partnership, seek to empower all NHS patients with more control over their care by expanding their options.

Achieving the NHS constitutional standard, which stipulates that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment, is a priority for the government and has not been met consistently since 2015.

To facilitate this, NHS England and the independent sector will work towards integrating digital systems, fostering longer-term contracts for sustained investment, and growing the elective workforce, including consistent training within the independent sector.

The NHS is already working to increase elective care delivery, with plans to provide an extra two million appointments, scans, and operations in the first year.

The renewed partnership with the independent sector is expected to further enhance patient choice for NHS-funded tests or scans, ensuring free care.