A new government initiative is sending top doctors to NHS hospitals in areas with high economic inactivity, significantly reducing waiting lists faster than the national average.

Launched in September 2024 by Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting, the program deploys expert teams of clinicians to regions where people are economically inactive due to illness.

These teams support NHS trusts in areas where a high proportion of people cannot work because of health reasons, helping to reduce waiting lists and improve care.

A new government initiative is sending top doctors to NHS hospitals in areas with high economic inactivity | Lynne Cameron

placeholder image — A new government initiative is sending top doctors to NHS hospitals in areas with high economic inactivity | Lynne Cameron

Data from October 2024 to January 2025 shows waiting lists in these regions fell by 130% faster than the national average, clearing 37,000 cases in total.

On average, each trust has reduced its waiting list by nearly 2,000 patients, demonstrating the effectiveness of the targeted approach in these areas of need.

The program has introduced efficient practices, such as running operating theatres like Formula One pit stops, cutting downtime between surgeries and speeding up patient treatment.

This initiative addresses the growing issue of economic inactivity due to long-term sickness, with the number of adults unable to work due to ill-health rising significantly since 2019.

Data shows that economic inactivity due to ill-health rose from 2.1 million in July 2019 to a peak of 2.9 million in October 2023, straining the system.

By targeting these areas, the government aims to get people back to health and work, reducing the welfare burden and improving economic productivity in these communities.

The program’s success has led the government to announce plans to expand the initiative to more NHS trusts, aiming to further reduce waiting lists across the country.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting praised the progress, stating: “The investment and reform this government has introduced has already cut NHS waiting lists by 193,000, but much more remains.”

Streeting emphasized that sending top doctors to support areas of high economic inactivity is helping the sick get back to work and alleviating the pressure on the NHS.

He added: “By taking the best of the NHS to the rest of the NHS, we are cutting waiting lists twice as fast at no extra cost to taxpayers.”

These measures come after the government’s confirmation to abolish NHS England, centralizing healthcare delivery to reduce bureaucracy and improve care outcomes nationwide.

The government inherited a backlog of over 7.6 million patients last July, but in the past five months, waiting lists have dropped by 193,000 patients.

The targeted approach is part of the government’s broader plan to increase NHS productivity, including expanding community diagnostic centres to operate 12 hours a day, seven days a week.

Other reforms include increasing the use of independent sector providers to offer more patient choice and help tackle NHS backlogs by providing additional resources.

The government is determined to reform the NHS, improve patient care, and drive economic growth by helping more people recover and return to work after illness.