Long-term sick targeted as NHS cuts waiting lists

THE NHS has beaten its own targets to get waiting lists down, the Government boasted as its efforts continued to get the long-term sick back into work.

- By David Williamson

The Department of Health and Social Care said three million additional appointments had been delivered six months early, with waiting lists falling by 219,000 since July.

Community diagnostic centres — many of which are located on high streets for easy access and open 12 hours a day, seven days a week — carried out around 4.5 million tests, checks and scans.

This is a 50% increase on the previous year and “equates to 18,000 more checks being delivered every day for patients to diagnose some of the biggest killers, including cancer and heart disease”.