Patients will be able to use NHS app to opt for private hospital care to help waiting lists - report

Patients volition soon beryllium capable to usage the NHS app to opt for backstage infirmary attraction successful an effort to chopped waiting times, according to a report.

The NHS waiting database for regular attraction stands astatine much than 7 million and is predicted to support rising until adjacent spring.

Both of the main governmental parties are relying connected much radical choosing to wage for backstage attraction to bring down waiting times and escaped up the NHS.

A study successful The Times said that lone 28 NHS hospitals presently let patients to negociate appointments via the app, though this is expected to beryllium expanded, which is erstwhile the backstage infirmary enactment volition beryllium offered for the archetypal time.

A Whitehall root cited by the paper said: "There is decidedly scope for that.

"The NHS app is progressively well-used, determination is already immoderate functionality wherever patients tin straight book, and we are looking to modernise those booking capabilities and update the options successful the app."

The fig of diagnostic centres offering checks for crab and different conditions volition besides beryllium expanded by adding facilities tally by the backstage assemblage - from the existent 106 to astir 190.

Only 63.5% of patients fixed a crab diagnosis statesman attraction wrong 2 months of a referral for tests, against a people of 85% that has not been deed for 9 years.

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A connection from the Department of Health and Social Care said: "Cutting waiting lists is 1 of the government's apical 5 priorities with the NHS app playing a captious relation successful giving patients greater power implicit their ain attraction and supporting elective attraction recovery.

"We person already started to instrumentality the Elective Recovery Taskforce's enactment and a afloat program volition beryllium published soon, outlining however we tin spell adjacent further to unlock the autarkic assemblage to get patients treated much rapidly and trim waiting lists."

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to corroborate the plans successful the coming weeks, The Times said.