Is this really going to be the year that the government “gets things done”? Keir Starmer is branding it as a “year of rebuilding”, returning to work with a series of announcements that he claims show the government is serious about fixing the NHS. Tomorrow, he will unveil an elective recovery plan for the health service, which he hopes will be received as a radical overhaul – and a sign that he is on the right track after a difficult start to his premiership.
The changes include patients being able refer themselves for tests and scans, as well as consultations on the same day as those tests so that they can get on with treatment or have the reassurance of knowing nothing is wrong. There are also changes to the way surgery is planned, so that hip and knee replacements aren’t routinely cancelled during winter crises.
