UK Government launches new taskforce to help NHS tackle COVID-19 backlogs

The UK Government has announced it is setting up an 'Elective Recovery Taskforce’ to help the NHS tackle the backlogs caused by COVID-19 and help deliver on remaining targets, including eliminating 18-month waits by April 2023 and waits of longer than a year by March 2025.

The taskforce, which met for the first time at Downing Street last week, will be chaired by health minister Will Quince and made up of academics and experts from the NHS, as well as the independent sector, to advise the government on ways to accelerate NHS recovery from the pandemic.

There will be a focus on how the NHS can help cut the backlog by utilising existing capacity in the independent sector, which has been used for nearly two decades to increase NHS capacity and ease pressure at critical times.

The group will look to improve communication and collaboration between the NHS and independent sector, clearly setting out which theatres, beds and other settings are available to help maximise NHS capacity.

A series of recommendations will then be put to the government early next year on how the NHS can better commission the independent sector, which uses existing budgets and comes at no extra cost.

Health and social care secretary, Steve Barclay, said: “The NHS is facing an unprecedented challenge to tackle COVID-19 backlogs. Hardworking staff have made strong progress, but I want to turbocharge our current plans to bust the backlog and help patients get the treatment they need.

“The taskforce will look at sensible steps to utilise all existing capacity to slash waiting lists while ensuring the NHS always remains free at the point of use.”

The launch of the taskforce follows the recent announcement from Barclay of the locations of 19 new community diagnostic centres across the country which will help more people to easily access life-saving checks, tests and scans.

The new diagnostic centres will be located in various locations across the country, including football stadiums and shopping centres, and will offer a range of services including MRI, CT and x-rays, making tests more accessible for patients.

There are 91 diagnostic centres already set up across the country and new data shows the ‘one-stop-shops’, backed by £2.3bn in government funding, have delivered over 2.4 million tests, checks and scans since July 2021.