The NHS has been accused of rationing hospital appointments so the Labour Government can meet its waiting list targets. GPs have reportedly been told they should aim to consult on at least one in four referrals instead of sending people to hospital.
Quotas will come into effect on Wednesday (April 1) as the NHS looks to bring down waiting lists. Shadow Health Minister, Dr Luke Evans, said a target to « bounce back » one in four referrals would be bad for clinicians and patients.
He told the Daily Telegraph: « It is hard not to see this as a way of Wes Streeting simply controlling access to hospitals and massaging waiting lists. »
Dr Evans said it seemed to him as if Labour was planning to ration secondary care.
News of the rationing comes after Health Secretary Wes Streeting warned earlier in March that the Government may not meet all of the NHS performance targets by 2029.
In a speech delivered in east London he said the NHS was improving, but it was still « nowhere near good enough ».
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer pledged that by July 2029, 92% of patients would be seen within 18 weeks for routine hospital treatments such as hip and knee replacements.
Mr Streeting said he believed that target would be met, but was unable to guarantee the same for all NHS performance standards.
GPs have been paid £20 for each case where they sought « advice and guidance » from a consultant instead of sending a patient to hospital.
Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, who chairs the British Medical Association’s GP committee, told the Telegraph the risks of the Government’s rationing scheme were a « huge concern » for every GP she speaks to.
She said the « politically driven » approach was « awful » for patients, adding: « It should be a huge concern for every patient. »
Hospitals have been paid £33 for each person removed under a scheme launched in 2025 which has reportedly seen millions of appointments crossed from lists.
The NHS has insisted the approach ensures waiting lists are correct, with the removal of people who have died, gone private or recovered.
An NHS spokesman said: « While the NHS delivered record numbers of appointments in 2025 and reduced the waiting list to its lowest level in three years, we have much further to go to ensure planned care is easier to access for patients.
« In addition to transforming how patients can book and manage their care through the NHS App, ‘advice and guidance’ has a major role to play in the coming years to support clinical decision-making and ensure patients are directed to the right specialist care as soon as possible. »
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