Patients who have been waiting more than two years for treatment will be given the choice of travelling to another area to get it more quickly under plans to clear NHS clear up waiting lists.
Health service bosses described the move as a "final push" to "virtually eliminate" the number of people who have been waiting 24 months to be seen by a medic, the number of which has fallen from a peak of 22,500 in January to 6,700 after the Covid-19 pandemic caused waiting lists to mount.
Amanda Pritchard, NHS England chief executive, said the plan was "ambitious" but staff were "on track" to meet the target by the end of next month.
