Government abandons commitment to hit cancer, mental health and A&E targets

The government cannot commit to meeting national cancer, A&E, diagnostic, mental health and ambulance waiting time targets by the end of this Parliament, Wes Streeting has told HSJ.

The health and social care secretary made the admission in an interview in which he also questioned the wisdom of creating NHS England and pledged to support controversial service cuts.

Prime minister Keir Starmer has confirmed his intention to hit the 18 week elective waiting time target by 2029, but government has given mixed messages on whether it would do the same for the other constitutional standards — which have largely gone unmet for about a decade.

He said: “I can’t say hand on heart I will definitely deliver those targets over the course of the Parliament. Or that it would be fair to set that expectation on NHS leaders.”

However, Mr Streeting added: “The constitutional standards matter. They are there for a reason and I know the frustration the public feel about the NHS not being there for them when they need it is also felt acutely by staff, who are confronted with the grim reality of what that means for patients.”

NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care yesterday revealed they would shrink their organisations, and consider more joint working. 

He said although he would not legally scrap NHSE, there would be more change to “eliminate waste and duplication” across the two and on “clarifying roles and responsibilities in the coming months”.

“As far as I’m concerned, the [department] is responsible for policy and strategy… and we drive improvement through the delivery organisation which is NHS England.”

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Source: HSJ, 31 January 2025