Boris Johnson said the government was putting in place “tough targets” to deal with backlog of patients waiting for treatment from NHS England. He said that, by March 2023, no one will need to wait more than two months for a diagnosis.
However, NHS Confederation chief executive Matthew Taylor warned against setting “unrealistic targets” as it could “skew clinical priorities”.
Mr Taylor said: “The particular challenge we have got now is, whilst we know we have got millions on the waiting list, we don’t know how many people out there in the community ought to be on the waiting list but didn’t come forward during Covid.
“I think that big imponderable is why have have got to be a bit careful about targets.”
It comes as plans to tackle the backlog that were meant to be published today were delayed.
Health secretary Sajid Javid said the booster programme “understandably” took precedent during the Omicron wave, but said the plan will be published “soon” as we come out “the other side” of the Omicron wave.
