Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 11
11
Accepted
Deprived communities and minority groups experience longer elective care waiting times
Conclusion
In July 2025 NHSE started publishing new data alongside the existing monthly Referral to Treatment Waiting Times data that showed that people from deprived communities and minority backgrounds are more likely to be waiting longer than 18 weeks for care than other groups.19 NHSE told us that one of the challenges it faces is ensuring equity of access and that it is working on addressing access needs in a sensitive fashion that takes inequalities and other factors into account.20 NHSE also told us that it is asking all local systems to make sure that they examine the data to understand what is driving differences. One example of a factor that may create inequalities, is when working parents are offered appointments that take place when they need to take their children to school and so more flexibility in appointment timing may be required.21 Planning for outpatients transformation
Government Response Summary
The government outlines existing measures to tackle health disparities in access to and waiting time for elective care, including publishing waiting list information broken down by demographics, examining waiting list information, implementing management interventions, validating waiting lists, introducing a tiering system, and implementing harm review processes.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
1.7 The Elective Reform Plan (ERP) set out several commitments aimed at tackling health disparities in access to and waiting time for elective care, including the publication of waiting list information disaggregated by demographic information, improving use of transport, accessible and alternative language templates, prioritisation tools. 1.8 In July 2025, NHS England published waiting list information broken down by age, sex, ethnicity and deprivation for the first time, updated monthly. This means waiting list information can be used nationally and locally to identify and address disparities in waits between groups of patients. 1.9 The ERP reiterated the importance of every locality and service provider examining waiting list information, as health inequalities vary geographically. Systems and providers are expected to routinely analyse waiting list information alongside local data, and report on identified inequalities and actions to mitigate these within board level reporting. 1.10 NHS England has implemented comprehensive actions to manage risks associated with long waits including where trusts are materially off track, targeted management interventions, building on the successful cohort management approach. 1.11 To maintain accurate waiting lists and identify patients at risk of harm, trusts are expected to review and validate patients waiting over 12 weeks at least every three months. NHS England has also carried out validation sprints throughout 2025-26, ensuring consistency and quality in data management. 1.12 NHS England have introduced a tiering system for trusts with sizeable long-waits. This ensures that support is proportionate to need and prioritised for challenged providers. 1.13 All providers have harm review processes to ensure patient safety, including systematic reviews for long waits, with escalation routes where clinical risk is identified.