GPs to refer patients for hospital trials by avoiding consultants in changing status in a bid to reduce NHS waiting lists

Patients with symptoms of bowel and lung disease, cancer and heart failure will be fast-tracked for scans and tests under government plans to reduce NHS waiting times.

Under the Prime Minister’s plans, GPs could refer people directly for diagnostic tests, avoiding waiting to see consultants.

People suffering from ear, nose, throat, gynecological, urological and intestinal problems will all benefit by receiving results weeks earlier. Other conditions covered include shortness of breath, asthma in young children and postmenopausal bleeding.

Many hospitals are overwhelmed and patients are being discharged in ambulances (Getty Images)

The change is among major changes to procedures aimed at reducing waiting times for millions of patients in England and reducing pressure on health services.

Currently, many patients who are referred by their doctor for scans, X-rays or probes must wait for an appointment with a consultant before the test can be carried out.

Sir Keir Starmer is also set to announce on Monday that thousands of patients in England will be offered a “same-day service”, including a follow-up consultation on the same day with a scan or Their testing, which allows more people to receive everything. – Clear or start treatment faster.

Labor says it wants to ensure 92 per cent of patients receive the care they need within 18 weeks of referral over the next five years, and has pledged to deliver 2 million extra NHS appointments a year to meet this target.

Currently, the waiting list is 7.6 million people. Figures show that at the end of August, 282,664 people in England were waiting more than a year to start routine hospital treatment.

Sir Keir is due to reveal the change in a speech on Monday, when he is expected to outline how resources will be diverted from hospitals to community settings to ease pressure on services.

Frontline non-medical staff, such as general surgery receptionists, will receive “customer service” training and hospitals will appoint patient experience champions to update and support people on waiting lists, the Prime Minister says.

He is expected to announce that routine surgeries such as hip and knee replacements will be protected from winter pressures and future pandemics as the capacity to perform elective elective procedures increases.

The PM will commit to increasing the capacity for routine hip replacements (Getty Images)

The announcements come three days after Health Secretary Wes Streeting outlined the first steps to overhaul the adult social care system, which will The reason for domestic delays of at least three years was widely criticized.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves promised an extra £22 billion over two years for NHS waiting times in her budget, but senior doctors said they were not convinced Sir Keir’s new plans would work because of a lack of available staff.

Some also said Sir Keir’s plans would fail without steps to save NHS emergency care, which has strained some hospitals.

Many hospitals are already overwhelmed by flu patients.

Tim Mitchell, president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said The TimesMany patients endure months of pain and anxiety on waiting lists, so a new plan to reduce waiting times is very welcome, but added that the government is likely to fall short of its target of seeing 92 per cent. Patients in 18 weeks at the current rate of recovery.

Tim Coxley, former president of the Acute Medicine Association, which represents hospital doctors, said: guard: “Innovative elements of selective improvement plan are welcome. Direct access to services, reducing bureaucracy and streamlining processes are key implementations for NHS recovery.

However, the grave concern is that the plan fails to recognize that without improving emergency care, this choice plan will inevitably and predictably fail.

There is not enough workforce and capacity to meet the needs of an increasingly aging population with multiple health issues, without the flexibility to deal with any additional pressures, such as winter viruses.

“Hospitals are already bursting at the seams. The concept of continuing to ring up elective beds while patients are dying, receiving degrading corridor service in emergency departments, is unethical and delusional.”