On 6 January 2025, NHS England launched their plan to reform elective care in England. The new NHS England’s Elective Care Reform Plan aims to deliver three key changes:

  • More convenient access to care. The NHS will provide more direct access to tests, scans and surgery in facilities other than hospitals, and at a time that’s convenient for patients. This will include increasing Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) capacity in 2025/26 and launching 17 new and expanded surgical hubs across England.
  • Improved patient experience. Through better communication and more information. Patients waiting for surgery will also be offered support to lose weight and stop smoking while they wait.
  • Improved waiting times. NHSE will commit to improving performance against the cancer waiting time standards. This will include a focus on improving performance where patients are currently waiting the longest.

Also within the plan is cancer pathway improvement work, with support from Cancer Alliances, focussing on:

  • Managing demand more effectively at the front end of cancer pathways.
  • Improving cancer pathway efficiency.
  • Maximising productivity of cancer diagnostic and treatment pathways by regularly assessing supply and demand for systemic anti-cancer therapy and radiotherapy treatment.

See more details from NHS England and the webpage.