Streeting accused of prematurely hailing success of elective scheme

Ministers have jumped the gun by claiming a flagship elective programme has been “busting through the backlog at twice the speed”, an independent analysis has concluded.

The Health Foundation has exclusively shared its analysis of the Further Faster scheme with HSJ. The scheme is run by the national Getting It Right First Time programme and seeks to improve the efficiency of elective care, especially outpatient services.

Wes Streeting last month declared that waiting lists fell “130 per cent faster in areas where the government scheme is in action than the national average” over the four months between October 2024 and January 2025. Twenty trusts, known as the FF20, are involved in putting the GIRFT ideas into action.

However, the authors of the first detailed study of Further Faster,  conclude that “it is too early to draw firm conclusions” about its success, and warn “plans for roll out of such schemes must be based on robust evidence that they work”.

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Source: HSJ, 14 April 2025