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Patients with symptoms of bowel and lung disease, cancer and heart failure will be asked for scans and tests, under government plans to cut NHS waiting times.
According to the Prime Minister’s plans, GPs they will be able to send people directly for diagnostic testing, avoiding waiting to see consultants first.
People suffering from ear, nose and throat, gynecological, urological and intestinal problems will benefit from receiving their results a few weeks earlier. Other conditions covered include shortness of breath, asthma in young children and postmenopausal bleeding.
The change is among radical changes to procedures aimed at reducing waiting for millions of patients in England and reducing the pressure on the health service.
Currently, many patients who are referred by their doctor for a scan, X-ray or probe have to wait for an appointment with a consultant before having the test.
Sir Keir Starmer will also announce on Monday that thousands of patients in England will be offered a “same-day service”, including a follow-up consultation on the same day as their appointment or test, allowing more people to get the all-clear or start treatment faster.
Work says it wants to ensure 92 per cent of patients receive care within 18 weeks of referral over the next five years, and has promised to deliver an extra two million appointments to the NHS a year to fulfill that goal.
Currently, the waiting list is 7.6 million. Figures show that at the end of August, 282,664 people in England were waiting more than a year to start routine hospital treatment.
Sir Keir will reveal the shake-up in a speech on Monday, when he is expected to explain how resources will be diverted from hospitals into community settings to reduce pressure on services.
Non-medical staff on the front line such as General surgery receptionists there will also be “customer service” training, the Prime Minister will say, and hospitals will appoint patient experience champions to update and support people on waiting lists.
Routine surgery such as hip and knee replacements will be protected from winter pressures and future pandemics as capacity for elective procedures is expanded, it is expected to announce.
The announcements come three days after Health Minister Wes Streeting outlined the first steps towards an overhaul social protection of adults system, which it was widely criticized for its built-in delays of at least three years.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves pledged an extra £22 billion over two years in her budget for NHS waiting times, but top doctors said they were not convinced Sir Keir’s new plans would succeed because of staff shortages.
Some also said Sir Keir’s plans would fail without measures to save the NHS emergency department, which is overwhelming some hospitals.
Currently there are many hospitals overwhelmed with flu patients.
Said Tim Mitchell, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England The Times: “Too many patients are enduring months of pain and anxiety on waiting lists, so a new plan to reduce waiting times will be very welcome”, but added that the government was “likely to fall short” of its target of 92 per cent of patients within 18 weeks at the current rate of improvement .
Tim Cooksley, past president of the Society for Acute Medicine, which represents hospital doctors, said The Guardian: “The innovative elements of the elective recovery plan are welcome. Direct access to services, cutting red tape and streamlining processes are key implementations for NHS recovery.
“However, it is of great concern that this does not recognize that, without an immediate recovery, this election plan will inevitably and predictably fail.
“There is not enough workforce and capacity to meet the demands of an aging population with multiple health problems, there is simply no resilience to deal with any overload, such as winter viruses.
“Hospitals are already bursting at the seams. The concept of continuing to cordon off elective beds while patients die, receiving degrading care in corridors in emergency departments, is immoral and delusional.”