Recovering elective waits inclusively: where to start? (December 2022)

Summary

Can the NHS effectively combine the aims of clearing the elective backlog and tackling health inequalities? It’s a question that systems and providers have been faced with since NHS England requested that recovery in the wake of the pandemic is managed inclusively. Some may think these aims are at odds with one another, while others will champion their unification. In the first stage of a new research project about inclusive approaches to reducing the backlog, The Kings Fund look at what we can learn from NHS boards about how this issue is playing out.