HEALTH
NHS app to let patients book private healthcare
Choice of treatment aims to boost capacity and cut waiting lists
The Conservatives and Labour are relying on increased use of private hospitals to reduce NHS waiting times
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Patients will be encouraged to use the NHS app to choose treatment in private hospitals as the prime minister sets out plans to cut waiting lists.
Dozens of private diagnostic centres will also offer checks for cancer and other conditions in efforts to use private companies to boost NHS capacity and speed up care.
Sir Keir Starmer will promise to hit all big NHS targets in the first term of a Labour government, a pledge that will pile pressure on Rishi Sunak to set out his own timescale for achieving standards that have not been met for up to eight years.
Rishi Sunak, the prime minister, believes that offering patients more choice and better data on their local hospital’s performance will drive up standards
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The NHS waiting list for routine treatments has reached a record 7.33 million and is predicted to keep rising until next spring.
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