Use private sector more for NHS patients - Labour

The government in England should increase its use of the private sector to tackle the NHS backlog, Labour says.

It said as many as 300,000 patients have missed out on treatment since it called for greater use of private clinics in January 2022.

And the party said it was unjust that the lack of action meant only those who could afford to pay for treatment themselves were being seen on time.

The government said it was delivering by cutting long waits.

However, data published by NHS England last week showed key targets to tackle the backlogs in cancer care and routine treatment had been missed.

Overall, there are now a record 7.3 million people on a hospital waiting list, which is nearly three million higher than it was before the pandemic started.

Health minister Will Quince said: "The Conservatives have virtually eliminated waits of over two years, and cut 18-month waits by 91%."

He said Labour politicians were split over use of the private sector in the NHS, adding: "While Labour fight with themselves over how to deliver care, we are cutting waiting lists and delivering for patients."

However, Labour shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said: "It's completely unjust that only those who can afford to pay to go private are being treated on time, while everyone else is left behind.

"Labour would use the spare capacity in the private sector to get patients seen faster.

"If the Conservatives had got their skates on, almost 300,000 patients could have been treated, off the waiting list and back to living their lives to the full. Rishi Sunak's dither and delay is costing patients dear."

That figure is based on the fact the independent sector has said it has capacity to do an extra 30% of the work it was doing for the NHS before the pandemic.

So instead of carrying out the 1.8 million treatments it has for the NHS between January 2022 and March 2023, the private sector could have done 2.1 million, Labour said.

It urged the government to get on and publish the conclusions of the elective recovery taskforce that has been looking at how to make better use of the private sector.

The taskforce finished its work in March, but its findings have yet to be published - although election rules meant it could not be released in the weeks leading up to the local elections at the start of May.

Under the arrangements in place, the private sector carries out NHS work at the same rates received by NHS hospitals.

The criticism by Labour is being seen as another sign of the party's renewed interest in getting the private sector more involved in NHS care.

Labour's last two leaders, Jeremy Corbyn and Ed Miliband, focused their election campaigns on protecting the NHS in England from privatisation.

But under the New Labour government of the late 1990s and 2000s, the role of the private sector increased in the health service.

David Hare, chief executive of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network, said he was pleased to see the "cross-party consensus" on the role the private sector could play in the NHS.

"We look forward to publication of the taskforce report," he added.