Recommendation 25

We recommend that NHS England, together with ICBs and the new Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), work together to deliver regional and national coordination as the system tackles the backlog in elective care. If the independent sector is to prove an effective partner in tackling that backlog, the Government must ensure that plans take into account people living in those areas with less access to independent care. The goal must be equity of access to care on waiting lists regardless of geographic location.